Tobyhanna’s Technical Publications Team Essential Behind the Scenes

When a new military system reaches the hands of the nation’s warfighters, one essential component often goes unnoticed: the manual that teaches them how to use, maintain, and troubleshoot it. At Tobyhanna Army Depot, a small but highly specialized team ensures those instructions are accurate, reliable, and ready for the battlefield.

Tobyhanna’s Technical Publications Branch has been developing the technical manuals that accompany military systems, ranging from large tactical shelters and radar platforms to handheld radios and communications headsets, for multiple decades. These manuals are not what the average consumer would expect to find in a new television set or cell phone, for example. These “tech manuals” are large, complex documents, often hundreds or even thousands of pages long that must follow strict standards set by the Department of War.

“We’re taking complex engineering data and turning it into something a soldier can use in an austere environment,” said Technical Publications Branch Supervisor Peter Moore.

Soldiers are often depending on these manuals in extreme weather, life-or-death situations where they may have limited background on the systems. Technical Writer-Editor Kevin Slater said everything is written with that context in mind.

“Never assume the reader has time to guess. Assume they’re cold and holding a 20-pound wrench,” said Slater.

The branch’s workforce is as diverse as its mission. Engineers, technicians, illustrators, drafters, and journalists all contribute to producing a complete manual. The work they perform goes far beyond sitting at a desk and typing away. It truly is part technical, part mechanical, and a part design role.

Tobyhanna’s Technical Publications team estimated that approximately 95 percent of the branch’s workload comes from outside the depot. The team supports Army program offices nationwide, the Marine Corps, and occasionally the Navy and Air Force. When a contractor doesn’t have its own writers or when a program office needs an authoritative military manual, they often turn to Tobyhanna.

Creating a manual is a deeply hands-on process. Writers and engineers frequently travel to units or manufacturers to examine equipment firsthand, take reference photos, perform operational steps, and work side-by-side with soldiers and subject-matter experts. Provisioners research every part used in a system, ensuring it’s available for the entire 20 to 30-year life cycle of a system, documented, and supported and then compile that data into detailed parts lists soldiers use to order replacements.

“Our job is to make sure every piece of equipment can be operated and maintained safely for its entire life cycle,” said Technical Writer-Editor Jacob Crawford.

Each manual concludes with a verification event in which a user follows the instructions step-by-step to ensure accuracy before the system can be fielded.

The work of Tobyhanna’s Technical Publications Branch is complex, meticulous, and sometimes invisible to the public, but its impact is felt on the battlefield when soldiers desperately need it.

“Every system needs a book,” said Configuration Management Specialist Carleton Henning. “And we make sure that book works for the soldier who needs it most.”