Tobyhanna Army Depot Places Col. Benjamin Kilgore in Command Pictured Left: Col. James L. Crocker; Pictured Right: Col. Benjamin Kilgore; (Photo credit: Justin Kucharski) Tobyhanna Army Depot ushered in a new era of leadership poised to shape the future of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s largest industrial employer. Col. James L. Crocker relinquished command of Tobyhanna Army Depot to Col. Benjamin Kilgore during a military ceremony on June 25. Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, presided over the ceremony. Also in attendance was the depot workforce, elected officials, community partners, and members of the Crocker and Kilgore families. Col. Crocker departs Tobyhanna and will take a new assignment in Army Materiel Command’s G3. In his departing remarks, he celebrated his time leading the DOD’s choice readiness provider. “At Tobyhanna, we ensure C5ISR readiness for warfighters worldwide. Our accomplishments, over the past two years, while important for us as an organization, were all aimed at delivering key warfighting capabilities at speed and scale,” emphasizing the vast importance of the organization’s newest mission. “The establishment of our microelectronics facility, which was unveiled earlier this month, has positioned Tobyhanna as the only organic supplier of circuit card assemblies for our warfighters, reducing the need to rely upon external sources.” Kilgore is the depot’s 36th commander and most recently served as the chief of staff at Defense Logistics Agency Energy. He holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from the Army War College, a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from the University of Louisville and a Masters in Managerial Logistics from North Dakota State University. Prior to attending the Army War College, he was assigned to Army Futures Command, where he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff G4 for Joint Modernization Command at Fort Bliss, Texas. Kilgore will lead 3,100 employees as depot commander and will be responsible for supporting global readiness for Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (also known as C5ISR) systems across the DOD. In his first address to the Tobyhanna community, Kilgore expressed excitement about his newest assignment. “I am honored to serve as Tobyhanna’s 36th Commander. Across the Department of Defense, Tobyhanna is known as a community of dedicated professionals who ensure that our joint force remains mission ready.” Kilgore also laid out his priorities for the organization’s future, citing its role in the evolution of the U.S. Army. “As we look ahead, Team Tobyhanna will continue to drive forward in alignment with CECOM’s top priorities — particularly in supporting the Army’s transformation strategy and enhancing readiness across the joint force. From sustaining and upgrading C5ISR systems to advancing capabilities in microelectronics, our work ensures that the joint force remains lethal, agile, and technologically superior.”
Tobyhanna’s New Microelectronics Facility Shapes Future From left: Anthony Shebelock, Tobyhanna; Martin Nealon, Tobyhanna; Depot Commander Col. James L. Crocker; Army Materiel Command Executive Deputy to the Commanding General Ms. Liz Miranda; CECOM Commanding General Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV; Jeffrey Burrell, Tobyhanna; and Mark Sgobba, Tobyhanna. With the snip of the scissors, Tobyhanna Army Depot celebrated the official opening of its Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility on Jun. 05, enabling the organization to lead the Department of Defense into a new era of warfighter readiness – one microchip at a time. The depot’s new capability will directly address current supply chain hurdles faced by the U.S. Armed Forces. Like many other industries, the DOD depends on foreign electronics suppliers to provide microelectronics components to develop and sustain weapons systems. This reliance on the global supply chain as well as the emergence of counterfeit parts results in a significant risk for national security. Enter Tobyhanna’s microelectronics facility, where a team of talented engineers and technicians develop repair, manufacturing and testing capabilities for circuit cards required by complex military weapons systems.This operation keeps the DOD’s existing equipment running, meets new technology needs, and, most importantly, reduces reliance on foreign suppliers. The event hosted by Communications-Electronics Command Commanding General, Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV. Also in attendance was Ms. Liz Miranda, Executive Deputy to the Commanding General of Army Materiel Command, other distinguished visitors, depot leaders and members of the workforce. During the keynote address, Miranda emphasized the importance of the new mission. “This facility is a direct investment in Army modernization, enabling us to not only sustain our legacy systems, but to rapidly adapt and integrate cutting-edge technologies into future platforms,” she said, adding that the effort was made possible by the talented members of Team Tobyhanna. “To the workforce of Tobyhanna Army Depot – you are the heart of this operation. Your expertise in C5ISR systems is nationally recognized, and this new facility is designed to empower you, to challenge you, and to provide you with a world-class working environment prioritizing your safety and well-being.” Turinetti shared Miranda’s sentiment, noting the depot’s importance to the Department of Defense overall. “Tobyhanna repeatedly demonstrates value to the Army and other services for their unwavering dedication to innovation,” he said. “None of this would be possible without the expertise, commitment, and ingenuity of the subject matter experts here at Tobyhanna and throughout CECOM. Their dedication to our force and our country allows us to continue modernizing so we can fight and win in any domain.” Lead Electronics Engineer Mark Sgobba has been exploring the potential of a microelectronics facility for Tobyhanna since 2020. He says the effort has been an opportunity for the depot to grow its capabilities, while also embracing agile, future-ready talent. “We enjoy pushing boundaries, embracing challenges and the continuous pursuit of knowledge. I’m very proud of the ME Team we have developed,” he said. The depot first got involved with microelectronics when Sgobba and his colleagues revived the dormant M139 Volcano mine dispensing system through the Service Life Extension Program. Artisans began with an obsolescence and producibility analysis to show that TYAD could support the electrical and mechanical fabrication, assembly, inspection and testing of the dispenser control units for Volcano. The team then got busy developing repair, test and manufacturing capability for 13 different Volcano circuit cards to support U.S. and foreign military sales requirements. The success of the Volcano effort led to missions supporting the AN/TPQ-53, Secure, Mobile, Anti-Jam, Reliable, Tactical Terminal (SMART-T), Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System and more. Depot Commander James L. Crocker says the ribbon cutting was only the start of Tobyhanna’s microelectronics journey. “Today, we celebrated the first milestone in a four-phase project to support microelectronics needs across the DOD. We look forward to expanding our capacity and capability for this critical warfighter readiness mission.” Army Materiel Command Executive Deputy to the Commanding General Liz Miranda tours Tobyhanna’s new Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility, an effort she says is a direct investment in Army modernization. CECOM Commanding General Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV addresses the crowd during Tobyhanna’s Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility Ribbon Cutting Photo Credits to Justin Kucharski
Tobyhanna Opens Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility WHAT: Tobyhanna Army Depot has officially opened is Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility, where surface mount technology is used to sustain critical military weapons systems. Tobyhanna plays a key role in the DOD, and this new mission expands the organization’s massive capability portfolio. WHEN: Thursday, Jun. 5 at 10 EST WHERE: Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania WHY/BACKGROUND: The DOD relies on the global supply chain to provide microelectronics for developing and sustaining military weapons systems. A shortfall in domestic manufacturing and the introduction of counterfeit parts into the supply chain represents a significant risk to operational readiness for the Joint Force. In response to this challenge, Tobyhanna Army Depot is executing a four-phase project to prototype and produce surface mount technology circuit card assemblies (CCAs). Tobyhanna is improving its ability to repair, build, and inspect CCAs, ensuring they last longer and stay reliable. This effort includes studying designs, analyzing supply chain risks, reverse engineering old parts, and creating replicas of outdated components. The goal is to keep the DOD’s existing equipment running, meet new technology needs, and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. This ceremony celebrates Tobyhanna Army Depot reaching operational capability on the microelectronics lab, which enables the depot to repair and manufacture circuit cards for DOD and foreign military sale needs. The future phases will expand capacity and capability at the depot. PARTICIPANTS: Ms. Liz Miranda, executive deputy to the commanding general, Army Materiel Command; Maj. Gen. James Turinetti, commanding general, Amy Communications-Electronics Command; and Col. James L. Crocker, commander of Tobyhanna Army Depot. Media interview available on request. If you wish to attend the ceremony, please RSVP to Danielle Weinschenk, TYAD PA, danielle.e.weinschenk.civ@army.mil. PLEASE NOTE THAT A REAL-ID COMPLIANT IDENTIFICATION IS REQUIRED TO ACCESS TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT.
