Tobyhanna Army Depot’s AUSA Chapter Honored by the 109th Infantry Regiment Association Maj. (ret) Mike Jones (left), president of 109th Infantry Regiment Association, presents Sgt. Maj. (ret) Kelvin Spencer, president of Tobyhanna Army Depot’s AUSA chapter, with a plaque of the 109th Infantry Regimental Colors. The plaque represents the association’s recognition of the chapter’s support to the Soldiers and families of the 109th Infantry Regiment throughout the greater Scranton area. The event took place on April 12 at Tobyhanna Army Depot. The Association is based in Scranton. “Tobyhanna’s AUSA chapter has been a valuable partner with the 109th Infantry Regiment Association, which provides support directly to our Gold Star Families, our Wounded Warriors, [and] members and Veterans of the 109th Infantry Battalion,” said Jones. The 109th Infantry Regiment Association’s primary focus is to provide educational assistance in the form of a Legacy Scholarship Program awarded to the children of the 109th Infantry Regiment Gold Star Families. The organization also supports wounded veterans through the Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors Program and support to Camp Freedom. Camp Freedom is a year-round adventure camp for individuals with disabilities, including veterans and first responders, their families, and Gold Star families, which provides quality hunting, shooting sports, fishing, camping, hiking, biking and other year round outdoor activities.
Soldiers Ready to Make Field Repairs Thanks to Tobyhanna Army Depot Tobyhanna Army Depot has renewed a partnership that ensures warfighters can access repair facilities on the battlefield. The depot and Product Manager for Sets, Kits, Outfits and Tools (PdM SKOT) will work together to produce new versions of the Armament Repair Shop Set, dubbed the “ARSS V2.” The workload remains at Tobyhanna after an extremely successful partnership that began with the original ARSS in 2015. The ARSS is a transportable shelter that serves as a place for Soldiers to repair anything from small arms to field artillery. It comes equipped with a generator for mobile power, an environmental control unit (ECU), and a wide variety of tools to keep military equipment battle-ready. Michael Cook, a logistics management specialist in the Production Management Directorate, said the new iteration of the ARSS incorporates several important process improvements. “The asset is no longer mounted on a trailer, and ARSS V2 has eliminated the need for ramps or ramp boxes. In addition, a smaller ECU replaces the larger, more cumbersome unit from ARSS V1.” Research, design and development for the ARSS V2 took several years, according to Brian Thomas, an engineer in the Production Engineering Directorate. Depot personnel worked closely with PdM SKOT as well as representatives from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center to create a prototype based upon Soldier feedback as well as depot “lessons learned.” Depot personnel fast-tracked completion of the prototype shelter over six months in early 2019. Once complete, the prototype was subjected to two months of rigorous transportability testing at the Aberdeen Test Center in Aberdeen, Maryland. Since testing concluded, pre-production planning has continued on the endeavor. Those involved say the new asset will be a big success. “The final ARSS V2 is easier and cheaper to produce – a win for both Tobyhanna and our customer, PdM SKOT,” Thomas said. “In addition, it is more user-friendly for the Soldier.” Donald Vozzi agreed. “We are extremely proud of ARSS V2 – especially because we’ve been able to cut the asset’s production time in half. That means Soldiers in the field are getting the equipment they need quicker.” Vozzi is the chief of the Systems Integration and Support (SIS) Directorate’s Electronic Shelter Systems Branch. David Graham is the Assistant Product Manager for ARSS V1 and V2 at PdM SKOT. He says the partnership has been a great experience. “Tobyhanna has done a great job with ARSS V1 and we are excited to begin building ARSS V2. We are pleased to have a partner in identifying manufacturing efficiencies.” The completed ARSS V2 is the culmination of collaboration across many depot organizations. Necessary cabling is built in SIS’s Strategic Systems Cable Branch, while other SIS artisans fabricate brackets, raceways, and work benches. SIS also supports vital testing operations for the ARSS V2 internal generator and ECU to ensure proper operation as well as refinishing requirements such as metal deburring and painting. Overarching project support comes from the Production Engineering, Production Management and Quality Management Directorates. “Like many projects at Tobyhanna, ARSS V2 is a team effort. We [SIS] couldn’t do it without our teammates,” said Vozzi. The continued partnership between Tobyhanna and PdM SKOT is directly aligned with the depot’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2028 – specifically the C5ISR Readiness and Shape the Future lines of effort. Heather Fiedler, the overall lead for TOBY2028, says partnerships are key to a successful future for Tobyhanna. “Tobyhanna Army Depot is actively engaged in over 100 current and prospective partnerships, which provide numerous benefits to both parties. These co-operative efforts allow us to best meet mission requirements for America’s warfighters.” The ARSS workload is funded as a multi-million dollar program over the coming years – with growth potential. “PdM SKOT is very happy with our support,” said Therese Paxton, the project manager for ARSS V2. “I believe we will have many opportunities to partner with them in the future in support of warfighter readiness.”
Tobyhanna, L3Harris Technologies Partner to Sustain Air Force MQ9 Reaper Tobyhanna Army Depot has joined forces with defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to repair portions of a critical intelligence collection system for the U.S. Air Force. The depot is scheduled to repair two types of line repairable units (LRUs) for the MQ-9 Reaper ground control station (GCS), part of a lucrative public-private partnership (P3) agreement between the organizations. The Reaper is an armed unmanned aircraft system that performs strike, coordination, and reconnaissance missions. The asset is designed for long-endurance and high-altitude surveillance, with the ability to carry 15 times more ordnance payload than its predecessor. The Reaper is monitored and controlled by an aircrew in the GCS. The acquisition of this new workload is directly aligned with Tobyhanna’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2028. The plan, which focuses on posturing the depot to be competitive in coming years, has lines of effort dedicated to expanding an already diverse portfolio through securing new workload, as well as connecting with community partners. The mission represents further growth for the depot’s support of assets used by the U.S. Air Force. The workload’s arrival is the culmination of several years of effort, according to Logistics Management Specialist Christopher Volch. Volch works in the Production Management Directorate. “We have been working with L3Harris Technologies since 2016 to transition sustainment responsibility incrementally. This measured approach ensures Tobyhanna is prepared to provide superior support to this program,” he said. The cross-functional transition team included personnel from the C4ISR, Production Engineering and Production Management Directorates. Much of the transition has focused on technical requirements, such as the development of test program sets (TPS). Matthew Rhoades, chief of the Production Engineering Directorate’s Test Engineering Branch, says the TPSs serve an important purpose for the program. “These TPSs will allow Tobyhanna’s electronics personnel to screen the LRU at the beginning of the process to identify where the asset requires repair. Once repair is complete, the asset will be tested to validate the repair, ensuring the warfighter receives a quality product – every time.” Rhoades noted the TPS development was only possible due to the P3’s collaborative working relationship. “It has been a great experience working with L3Harris Technologies. Their personnel have been extremely good communicators and are willing to help however they can.” The transition team has also focused on training to close the capability gap between the contractor and Tobyhanna personnel. A cadre of depot subject matter experts traveled to an L3Harris Technologies facility in Salt Lake City, UT last month for side-by-side training and validation of technical documentation. Attendees praised the experience, citing it as a valuable opportunity to collaborate and learn from subject matter experts. Representatives from L3Harris Technologies say they are pleased with the depot’s efforts to prepare for the new workload. “The entire team has been extremely accommodating. We are very excited for this workload to come to Tobyhanna,” said Steven King, project manager for the Reaper transition. Volch is hopeful that the already fruitful partnership will lead to more work for Team Tobyhanna. “This partnership has been a fantastic experience, and we’ve been able to meet all of their expectations thus far. I believe we are well postured to work together again in the future, “ adding that P3s allow the Department of Defense to leverage unique capabilities available in the private sector to support operational readiness in the most effective and efficient fashion. The depot has entered into nearly 300 partnerships since the program began in 1996.
