CRANE, Ind. -- A full day of tours at the Crane Army Ammunition Activity made up Brig. Gen. Kevin G. O'Connell's first visit to a Joint Munitions Command's site following his change of command ceremony June 5.
The June 19 tour started with a command briefing led by CAAA Commander Col. Linwood Clark.
"Sir, we're glad you came to visit Crane. (Once the briefing is completed), our goal is to get you out in the field and see (some of Crane's missions)."
O'Connell noted the dedication of the Crane Army workers and the path forward.
"I appreciate being here and the formula of what you do," he said. "Your priorities and focus are right on track. I ask that you see yourself in my priorities."
O'Connell's top five priorities are: deployability, survivability, mission support, taking care of people, and having fun.
He also learned about the site's demil mission, as well as its continuous improvement programs.
O'Connell toured an ammunition operations center, surveillance workshop and a container complex in the depot mission area; he toured a machine shop, 60 mm production line and a 30 mm demil facility also.
Touring with the general included: Norman Thomas, CAAA's civilian executive assistant; JMC Command Sgt. Major Anthony Bryant; 1st Lt. Daniel Midgett, CG Aide; Enlisted Aide Staff Sgt. Wally McFadden and Crane-Installation Advocate Jana Meyer.
For Bryant, it was his first visit to a government-owned, government-operated JMC site since becoming the new command sergeant major in April.
O'Connell asked many depot operations-related questions and its relationship within the ammunition industrial base. O'Connell recently arrived from U.S. Pacific Command, where he served as the command's, director of Logistics, Engineering and Security Assistance.
O'Connell toured four other JMC sites in his first three weeks, but CAAA was the first.
"It was a great visit," he said. "I'm looking forward to the (next visit to Crane)."
CAAA is a subordinate organization of the JMC responsible for receiving, storing, shipping, producing, renovating and demilitarizing conventional ammunition, missiles and related components to meet contingency requirements in support of the warfighter.
From its headquarters in Rock Island, Ill., JMC operates a nationwide network of conventional ammunition manufacturing plants and storage depots, and provides on-site ammunition experts to U.S. combat units wherever they are stationed or deployed. JMC's customers are U.S. forces of all military services, other U.S. Government agencies, and allied nations.
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