COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition, Project Director Joint Services (PD JS)
TITLE: Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RFAAP) site integrator
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 1
EDUCATION: B.S. in mining and minerals engineering, Virginia Tech

Brooke Jones

by Holly DeCarlo-White

As the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RFAAP) site integrator, Brooke Jones’ duty is to ensure the operating contractor is executing according to their contract. Doing so involves overseeing complex relationships, such as intersecting roles and responsibilities among multiple Army organizations at both the headquarters and plant levels. In her role, she facilitates communication and knowledge as a “boots-on-the-ground contributor” to the Project Director Joint Services (PD JS). “There is a strong multiagency team onsite that truly functions as a team to ensure the government’s interests, and thereby the warfighter’s interests, are the target focus,” Jones said.

RFAAP is the core propellant-manufacturing facility for DOD; capable of producing mass quantities of chemical energetics-driven weapons or propellants made from a variety of ingredients to support direct fire, indirect fire and rocket applications.

When she describes her work to others, Jones said people always seem surprised at how passionate she is. “It is my honor to serve my country with the strengths that I have, in the best way I know how. It is invigorating to be able to find solutions to challenging problems that help provide warfighters with the energetics they need for the variety of circumstances they face.”

Jones worked as a DOD contractor, specializing in energetics research, development and production, within the National Technology and Industrial Base for two decades before crossing over to government service a year ago. “The excitement and pride I feel to work for the competent people that I once referred to as ‘customers’ is truly an honor. Since the passion I have for this industry has not faded in the past 20 years of my career; I am encouraged that I will remain committed for the next 20 years,” she said. “Staying focused on finding the best encompassing solution for all stakeholders is a challenge I willingly and gratefully accept.”

Jones said the experiences during her first year with PD JS have been broad and challenging. Immediately upon assuming the position, she had the opportunity to be heavily involved in a government-owned contractor-operated (GOCO) facility-use extension negotiation at Radford that ended up changing the existing multiyear contract type. The follow-on to that change meant she had to work through the growing pains of the first year of implementing a new contract structure at Radford with the operating contractor. “It has been a wild ride!” she said.

“It is incredibly important to ensure that you are well-versed and competent in your field of work,” Jones explained. “Knowledge allows you to be an asset to your team and arrive at the solution expediently. Sharing that knowledge through action and open communication makes you a valuable teammate.”

“The best career advice I could give is to read—read contracts, read technical papers, read FAR [Federal Acquisition Regulation] clauses, read scopes of work—then read everything again,” she said.

As a new Army civilian, Jones will obtain her DAWIA level certifications for her career field in the future. She has also recently enrolled in the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition (JPEO A&A) mentor program, which she said she is very much looking forward to. JPEO A&A, which is comprised of seven project offices, is the single manager for conventional ammunition. It is responsible for the development, procurement and fielding of lethal armaments and ammunition providing joint warfighters and allied partners overmatch capabilities. Types of work within the JPEO include integrating budgets, acquisition strategies, research and development and life cycle management across all armament and ammunition families.

Jones, who was also a 13-year Army spouse, said, “I am extremely grateful. I have two young children, ages 10 and 8, who have overcome many challenges in their young lives. Their perseverance and determination have made me a woman of strong faith who is extremely grateful for each day.”

“Whether my kids are playing baseball, softball, diving, dancing or academically competing, I am there supporting them in every way I can,” she said. “My deepest desire is to raise these children to become the extraordinary contributors to the world that they are designed to be—to instill a strong work ethic, good sportsmanship and a focus on others is my objective each day.”

“I serve my God, my children and my country with the same steadfastness, focus and 100 percent effort. It is who I am and how I live both at home and at work. To be good at your craft, your life and your duty, you must work at it—study, read, listen and act—all while being respectful of others,” Jones said. “This is how I challenge myself to be each and every day.”