Vehicle production began Jan. 12 at Anniston Army Depot (ANAD), AL, on a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case facilitated by the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command to provide refurbished M113 armored personnel carriers and M88 recovery vehicles to the Iraqi government.
“These vehicles will help the government of Iraq be more self-reliant in the defense of their country, enabling our troops to come home,” said Phillip Dean, Chief of Integrated Logistics Support at ANAD, where plans call for production of 586 M113s of the A2 variant. The FMS calls for 21 M88s.
The M113A2 work, estimated to be worth $60 million, is to be conducted at ANAD in partnership with defense contractor BAE Systems, said Carol Funderburg, Depot Business Management Specialist. BAE Systems is providing supply chain management under a Federal Acquisition Regulation contract. The vehicles to be repaired are from an excess stock of M113s at Sierra Army Depot, CA.
[quote align=”left”]These vehicles will help the government of Iraq be more self-reliant in the defense of their country, enabling our troops to come home.[/quote]This isn’t the first time ANAD has done work under an FMS case for Iraq, and more programs are expected, Dean said. Most recently, between November 2009 and December 2010, ANAD refurbished 140 M1 Abrams tanks for Iraq in partnership with General Dynamics Land Systems. ANAD will begin another M1 program in May to provide tanks for Saudi Arabia and is working to develop business with Australia.
“The benefit of this work to ANAD is the sustainment of our core capabilities,” said Funderburg. “It could serve as a model for additional M113 FMS workload.”
Workers will be repairing the M113s at a rate of 50 vehicles per month throughout FY11 until all are completed, Dean said. The first delivery of M113s to Iraq is set for July.
For more information about ANAD, visit www.anad.army.mil. For information about the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, visit www.usasac.army.mil.
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- MIRANDA MYRICK was a Public Affairs Specialist at the ANAD Public Affairs Office at the time this article was written. She no longer works for the Army.
