by Justine Barati
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — On March 7, 2015, the Acting Secretary of the Army, Patrick J. Murphy, designated Letterkenny Munitions Center, on Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, Pa., as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Army Tactical Missile Systems; Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems; and
Low-Cost, Reduced-Range, Practice-Rocket Missile Maintenance.
This designation identifies LEMC as the Army’s premier center for missile maintenance. Through this designation, LEMC will now be able to enter into public-private partnerships to perform additional missile maintenance work.
In the memo authorizing the CITE designation for LEMC, Murphy states that “LEMC possesses the subject matter expertise in missile maintenance for the… Army missile capability. It has the core capabilities necessary to maintain the subject missiles, rockets, and associated equipment for strategic and contingency plans, and has the capabilities needed to support depot maintenance core requirements.”
CITE designation allows depots and installations to enter into depot maintenance partnerships that enhance their core capabilities. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness’ website states, “The primary intent of the depot maintenance partnership initiative is to enhance depot support to the warfighter by enabling and empowering the Department of Defense’s organic depots to develop appropriate partnerships with the commercial sector, while recognizing the legitimate national security need for DOD to retain depot maintenance capability.”
“Potentially, this designation can result in overall savings to the United States government and increase facility utilization,” said the Commanding General of Army Materiel Command, Dennis L. Via, in his endorsement memo for the CITE designation.
“By combining government expertise, assets, and resources with complimentary contributions from private industry, the Army can leverage its assets, reduce costs, and decrease outlays. A public-private partnership arrangement will incorporate cost sharing and permit the Army to accomplish goals with fewer funds than traditional contractual arrangements require. Partnering with industry can create new capabilities that help the Army accomplish its military mission while influencing commercial technology in the private sector,” said Via.
“Receiving this CITE designation from Acting Secretary Murphy, a Pennsylvania native, is a major accomplishment for LEMC, because it formally and publically recognizes the expertise of our workforce and the quality of the work they do every day to support a vitally important element of combat power for the Joint Force,” said LEMC’s Commander, Lt. Col. Trenton J. Conner.
As the Army’s East Coast Power Projection Platform for munitions, LEMC conducts regional and global distribution of munitions, provides missile maintenance, and conducts demilitarization of munitions for Joint Forces and international partner nations.
A Letterkenny Munitions Center employee disassembles an Army Tactical Missile in preparation for complete inspection of all components, including electronic testing, to ensure readiness of the Army’s munitions stockpile. (Stock photo provided by LEMC.)
