U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal's February 2016 newsletter: The Salvo

SALVOU.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal

February 2016

S to r y on Pa ge 3

A great mortar system ... we will now make better

3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Latvia

Page 2 Salvo Feb. 29, 2016

The Arsenal Salvo is an authorized monthly publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the Salvo are not necessarily the official views of, or an endorsement by the U.S. Government, the Depart-ment of Defense, the Department of the Army, or the Watervliet Arsenal. News may be submitted for publication by sending articles to Public Affairs Officer, 1 Buffington Street, Bldg. 10, Watervliet, NY 12189, or stop by office #102, Bldg. 10, Watervliet Arsenal. The editor may also be reached at (518) 266-5055 or by e-mail: [email protected]. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted for publication.

Commander, Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr.Public Affairs Officer, John B. SnyderEditor, John B. SnyderPhotographer: John B. Snyder Arsenal Facebook Page @https://www.facebook.com/WatervlietArsenal?ref=hlCOVER Photo By: Sgt. Paige Behringer

ColonelLee H. Schiller Jr.

CommandingManufacturer 6

Commander’s Corner

Throughout the year, the calendar forces elected of-ficials, the military, and our nation to take a moment to think about the various observances that highlight and salute our nation’s cultural diversity. From February's Black History Month to March's Women’s History Month, these observances help to remind us that we strive to be a nation that embraces the strengths of diverse people in an inclusive environment. At times, our nation has been slow to accept the differ-ences in our national tapestry. But one of the great things about the Watervliet Arsenal is that we have led the way in the Army, if not in the nation, in treating each other — regard-less of race, religion, or sex — with dignity and respect. Since the Arsenal opened its gates in 1813, women have been a part of the workforce even though it would take the Army until 1978 before it dis-established the Women’s Army Corp. Maj. Gen. Mary E. Clarke, the last director of the Corps, was assigned as the commander of the U.S. Army Military Police School/Training Center and Fort McClellan, Ala., be-

coming the Army’s first female major general. African Americans have been a part of our work-force since the 1800s, too. However, African Ameri-cans would not be integrated into the Army until July 26, 1948, when President Harry S. Truman signed

Executive Order 9981 that man-dated the integration of the mili-tary and the equality of treatment and opportunity. But even with that Order, in 1950, Truman had to order Army leaders to end a quota on African Americans in the active force. These are just two examples, of many, of the diversity that we enjoy here. As we grow and shape our workforce for the future, we must continue to build on our strengths of acceptance and tolerance. As you look left and right, you will notice that we have quite a bit of work ahead of us. I ask you to ensure that we consider diversity in our hir-

ing practices, and when we do hire a worker who may have a culture or an experience that differs from the majority, that we embrace their diversity and welcome them with open arms.

mailto:[email protected]


Story continues on page 4, “Mortar”

By John B. Snyder

Pfc. Branden Maurin, indirect fire infantryman, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, carries about 100 pounds gear up the draw of two hills during the first of a three-day Mortar Training and Evaluation Program. “I’m the ammo bearer, so I got stuck with the tube. It’s definitely heavy and walking up the hills with it is very challenging,” said Maurin.

Photo by Sgt. William Howard

Arsenal receives $4.6M contractto lighten Soldiers' load

The Watervliet Arsenal announced this month that it has received a $4.6 million contract to start a new product line for the 81mm mortar system that will help reduce an infan-tryman’s fatigue and movement time over a cross-country route. This next generation of an 81mm mortar bipod is a con-tinuation of the Army’s effort to reduce the weight of small indirect fire systems that are carried by Soldiers, said Laura Pisculli, the Arsenal’s supervisor of production planning and control. The Arsenal already manufactures a light-weight mortar baseplate and tube. “This multimillion dollar order will add to the Arsenal’s current workload more than 13,000 hours of direct labor,” Pisculli said. “Because this new product line will require a significant amount of preparation in regards to training and new tooling, our first delivery will not be until 2018.” The first shipment of the mortar bipods is scheduled to leave the Arsenal in March 2018 and the order should be complete by November 2018. Each bipod consists of about 25 close-tolerance, machined parts, and will weigh approxi-

mately 22 pounds, as compared to the 27 pounds of the legacy system. Nevertheless, with the start of any new product line, there will be challenges, said Scott Huber, an Arsenal gen-eral foreman. “Manufacturing such products as Abrams tank cannons and 155mm howitzer tubes is extremely challenging given the tight machining tolerances,” Huber said. “But this product order is no less challenging as we will be working with material that is new to us, such as Kevlar and Teflon, as well as new processes that will require welding extreme-ly hard materials such as Titanium.” Huber explained that when the Arsenal begins a new product line there is a significant amount of time spent writ-ing computer programs, developing special tooling, and es-tablishing new outside vendors to provide the raw material long before the first part is machined.


Photos by John B. Snyder

Mortar Cont.

“Although delivery does not start until 2018, we already have a team, from procurement to production planners to machinists, working hard to produce the first two systems,” Huber said. “Long before we begin shipping these bipods to the Army, we will thoroughly vet the fit, form, and func-tion of the new bipod through a rigorous quality control process. That will be our focus between now our first ship-ment in 2018.” In addition to the workload and the revenue, there is an-other added value for this order. “Anytime we get an order for a new product line, it cre-ates a great sense of excitement in the workforce because they will be required to do something that they had not seen before,” Huber said. “We love a challenge here and when we know that our products will go from us into the Sol-diers’ hands, I can’t think of any other job that would make us feel more proud of what we do.” The 81mm mortar system is used primarily by the infan-try as an indirect fire weapon when a high-angle trajectory

Arsenal Machinist Norman Christie, left, working on an 81mm mortar tube, while Assembler Vincent Gregorek checks out the function of a mortar bipod.

is required to hit enemy troops, materiel, and positions. It has a range that exceeds 5,800 meters. The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest, continuously active arsenal in the United States having begun operations during the War of 1812. Today’s Arsenal is relied upon by U.S. and foreign mili-taries to produce the most advanced, high-tech, high-pow-ered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar systems. This National Historic Registered Landmark had $138 million in revenue in fiscal year 2015 and has an annual economic benefit to the local community in excess of $100 million.

NOTE: This story was a Top 10 Story for the entire Army, Army G-4, Army Materiel Com-mand, Army North America, Inside the Army, and for Army Human Interest highlights.


Does improving the business practices of the Army mean

that Army Arsenals are a business?

By John B. Snyder

Story continues on page 6, “Spoehr”

Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Spoehr, the director of the Army's Office of Business Transformation, standing next to the Watervliet Arsenal's rotary forge during his February visit. This was Spoehr's first visit to the Arsenal.

Photo by John B. Snyder

A senior Army leader is seeking ways to improve the business practices of the Army and what better place for him to find a high performing organization as an example for the rest of the Army than to come to the Army's oldest, continuously operated arsenal --the Watervliet Arsenal. "I'm always in the hunt for people and organiza-tions who are really doing things well," said Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Spoehr, the director of the Army's Office of Business Transformation who visited the Arsenal on Feb. 10. "I need to tell you that when I talk about high performance organizations in the Army I talk about the Watervliet Arsenal." Spoehr highlighted that he had been approached by several Army leaders, to include Maj. Gen. Gwen-dolyn Bingham, the commander of the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, about the great work the Arsenal is doing in the manufacturing of large

caliber weapons and especially, in its continuous im-provement program. "I want to take the great things I learn today and cross-pollinate what you (Watervliet Arsenal) are do-ing with the rest of the Army," Spoehr said. Arsenal Commander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. pro-vided a command overview and a tour of the Arsenal's manufacturing center highlighting the very competi-tive challenge that defense manufacturers face today. Schiller explained the challenges of the holding the cost of operations, as well as the cost of prod-ucts, down when defense budgets get reduced. But then offered several examples of how the workforce is seeking to improve its business practices through such programs as Lean Six Sigma, as ways to counter today's challenges.


Spoehr Cont.

Schiller also spoke to the important role that an Army arsenal has today. "We truly believe that the Army's readiness de-pends on an uninterrupted flow of support to our troops," Schiller said. "As the nation's national secu-rity insurance policy, our warm base of manufactur-ing capability here ensures that Soldiers receive the weapon systems they need, when they need them." But beyond systems and processes Schiller high-lighted, he touched on what really matters here. "Although the heart and soul of my command are my machinists, nothing gets done without a great workforce all working together toward a common goal," Schiller said. Spoehr was provided a firsthand look at forging operations where howitzer tubes were heated up to 2,000 degrees, a tube straightening process where thousands of tons of pressure made tubes bend like a blade of grass in the wind, and multi-tasking machines that have cut the production time on mortar baseplates by more than 50 percent. So, given Spoehr's visit here to capture some of the Army's great business practices, does it mean the Arsenal should be perceived as a business? After all, if the Watervliet Arsenal seeks to retain international quality standards like a business, con-ducts research and development like a business, has a customer base like a business, and has concerns with controlling costs like a business, is it a business? The answer is no, Spoehr said during a 2014 pre-sentation to the Association of the U.S. Army. Although he was not directly talking about the Watervliet Arsenal during his speech, his understand-ing of the unique nature of the Army profession -- warfighters protecting our nation's interests -- would not allow for the Army to transcend from that sacred role into something as impersonal as a business. Schiller agrees with Spoehr. "Although we are not a business, we kind of act like one in regards to our focus on quality, efficiency, and on our customers," Schiller said. Near the end of the tour, Spoehr said something that the Arsenal workforce already knew. "This place is really cool," Spoehr said.


30-year-old facility finally catches up with modern technology that it houses

By John B. Snyder

More than great looks, improving the work environment may also improve the health of the workforce

Story continues on page 8, “Facility"

Photos by Billy Martin

Working in a heavy manufacturing center can be a tough, dirty business, at least it is at the U.S. Army’s manufacturing center at Watervliet, N.Y.

Nevertheless, despite its storied, 202-year history of providing continuous support to the nation’s Soldiers, the majority of workers here will never turn on, let alone see the heavy machinery that produces high-precision products for such weapon systems as the Abrams Tank and Paladin Howitzer.

Beyond the buildings that house the Arsenal’s heavy machinery that pound, grind, and shape raw steel into today’s cannon and mortar systems, is a support staff who greatly outnumber the machinists.

These staff members, who conduct such services as resource management and transportation, work in buildings that were for the most part constructed 50, 100, and some as much as 180 years ago.

Given today’s environment of declining defense budgets, the Arsenal cannot build new infrastructure. After all, the Arsenal already has 2.1 million square feet of administrative and manufacturing space.

And so, the question recently posed to Richard Tortorici, the Arsenal’s architect, is how can he improve the work environment for the workforce given the restrictions on building new facilities?


Facility Cont.

In the past five years since his arrival here, Tortorici has planned, coordinated, and managed numerous improvements that have ranged from placing new windows in a 130-year-old building that is on the National Register of Historical Places list to renovating an 1840s-era Army research center to remodeling staff offices in the headquarters’ building.

If those challenges were not enough, he was recently charged with the job to renovate the work area of the Information Management staff who reside in of all places … a basement.

“At first glance, I wondered how the staff could effectively work in a place with zero windows, no sense of the outdoors, and surrounded by tattered 1970s-era colors and furniture,” Tortorici said. “The only way I thought that we could make this work was to do a wholesale renovation, from flooring to lighting.”

The old carpet…gone The old work cubicles…gone The old conference room…gone The old colors…gone

Tortorici said that he used a combination of concepts from all of his previous work, and through a six-month process he painstakingly rebuilt the information management office from the floor up.

“As difficult a challenge as it was, I wanted to bring the outdoors in,” Tortorici said. “A big part of the change was to implement a variety of natural, bright colors. Creating windows that give the illusion of looking outdoors was vital to the perception I was after.”

Beyond a simple change in color scheme, new workstations now have an organic (real wood) flow to them that allows each worker the option to stand or sit, as well as improves the communication between each worker.

According to Craig Edlund, the Arsenal’s chief of

Information Management, the changes have already improved his team’s effectiveness.

“The changes have been intellectually and physically shocking,” Edlund said. “When one of my workers walks into our area they should feel better about their environment, as well as the potential gains to their personal health.”

Tortorici and Edlund both claim that standing while at the workstation will improve the health of each individual.

To back up that claim, Edlund pointed to a recent article on Shape.com that touts the benefit of standing while working.

According to the article titled “Could Your Standing Desk Replace Your Run?,” if a person stands just four hours per day, Monday through Friday, they will burn 650 calories, the same number of calories they would burn while running a 10K. Extend that out to 50 weeks, that person would burn as many calories as someone who ran 11 marathons.

Because he is not going to run any marathons, Darel Dacus, the Arsenal’s information assurance officer, said that he has found that standing up during the day has helped him to become better focused and more energetic.

“When I walked in for the first time and saw the changes, I was shocked,” Dacus said. “But I have to say that because the work area no longer looks de-pressing, I feel better and more energized to do my work.”

Dacus added that being forced to get rid of de-cades-old clutter has been good for him and the team.

Edlund said that in a matter of a few weeks since his team returned, communication activity among team members has greatly improved and he expects productivity to improve now that people feel better about coming into work.


LEAN Corner...By Mark RipleyRoot Cause Analysis

Tracing a Problem to its Origins

In medicine, it's easy to understand the difference between treating the symptoms and curing the condition. A broken wrist, for example, really hurts! But Vicodin will only temporarily take away the pain. The pain is just the symptom. The only way to keep the pain from coming back (without addiction) is to fix the broken bones – the underlying cause.

What do you do when you have a problem here at the Arsenal?

Too often we jump straight in and treat the symptoms. But we should stop to consider whether there's actually a deeper problem that needs attention. If you only fix the symptoms – what you see on the surface – the problem will almost certainly return and will need fixing over and over again.

However, if you look deeper to figure out what's causing the problem, you can fix the underlying systems and processes so that it goes away for good.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a technique that helps people answer the question of why the problem occurred in the first place. It seeks to identify the origin of a problem using a specific set of steps, with associated tools, to find the primary cause of the problem.RCA assumes that systems and events are interrelated. An action in one area triggers an action in another, and another, and so on. By tracing back these actions, you can discover where the problem started and how it grew into the symptom you're now facing.

You can apply RCA to almost any situation. Determining how far to go in your investigation requires good judgment and common sense. Theoretically, you could continue to trace root causes back to the Stone Age, but the effort would serve no useful purpose. Be careful to understand when you've found a significant cause that can, in fact, be changed.

Running an effective RCA takes training. The Continuous Improvement Office will offer RCA training in the near future and so, please let us know of your interest by calling 266-3992.


Protecting Personal Identifiable Information

PII is the information that identifies, links, relates or is unique to an individual. The following are examples of PII, but it is not inclusive: name, social security number, private phone number, address, driver’s license num-ber, place of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc. Non PII can become PII when the information is publicly avail-able and combined with other information.

The Arsenal commander is committed to protecting all employees and our personal information. Nevertheless, each of us has a responsibility to ensure that the information given to you is secure and protected. PII must only be accessible to those with an official “need to know.”

Most PII breaches are due to human error. Insider threat continues to grow and the risk is the greatest when PII is stolen by a hacker or thief.

One of the biggest threats to PII involves information technology (IT). Here are a few tips to protect IT related PII breaches: IT Equipment• Keep your laptop in a secure government space or secured under lock and key when in use• Do not maintain PII on a public website • Never store PII on personal devices• Do not leave your government laptop unattended in a car or trunk, even if they are locked• Do not check your government laptop with or in your luggage when you travel Email• Email containing PII must be digitally signed and encrypted • Ensure you are sending the e-mail to the correct recipients and all have an official “need to know” Network Shared Drives (Reference AR 25-2, Information Management Information Assurance)• Limit storage of PII on shared drives whenever possible• Delete files containing PII in accordance with AR 380-5, Department of the Army Information Security Program Electronic Storage Media• All internal and removable electronic storage media must be properly marked and secured • Ensure you are sending the e-mail to the correct recipients and all have an official “need to know” Scanning• Scanned documents containing PII will be transmitted using a secure means Printed Material• If you are printing PII, make sure you know the printer location and pick up the data immediately• Ensure all printed documents with PII are properly marked with “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY”• As a best practice use a DD Form 2923, Privacy Cover Sheet as a cover when handling PII Social Media• Assume all information shared on social media sites can be made public• Do not post "sensitive" work related information Faxing PII is prohibited except when another more secure means is not practical, a non-Army pro-cess requires faxing, or when faxing internal government operations PII (i.e. office phone, office email,etc) Shredding• It is highly recommended and considered a best practice to use a cross-cut shredder• An alternate to cross-cut shredding is to contract with an approved shredder service• The use of burn bags is an alternate option

All employees need to take privacy protection seriously. If you suspect an inappropriate disclosure of PII, im-mediately notify your supervisor and the WVA Privacy Act Officer, Paula Martinez at 266-4511.

By Paula Martinez

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service has de-ployed with U.S. troops since the late 1800s, and that sense of service is exactly what the Arsenal’s new Ex-change manager brings to the workforce. Pamela Ham-mond arrived here last November from Scott Airforce Base in southwestern Illinois. During her 18 years in the Exchange Service, formally called AAFES, she has racked up a wealth of field experi-ence, experience that she believes will make a difference here. To put her experi-ence into perspective, over the last 10 years the Arsenal has had a handful of managers with great experience prior to their arrival here, but none have had service in a combat zone, until now. “Throughout my career, I truly believed that my job was to support the troops,” Hammond said. “And what better way to live up to that belief than to de-ploy into a combat zone with them (troops) and so, I did.” Hammond had recently deployed to Qatar and Afghanistan, providing service directly to troops in combat. She explained that her overseas service was some of the most rewarding periods of her life. “When Soldiers came back from a combat mis-sion in Afghanistan, they were very appreciative for the support that we (the Exchange) provided them,” Hammond said. “They gave me such a great feeling that what I was doing was truly making a difference in their lives.”

Hammond says that sense of making a difference will be her mantel here as she leads the Arsenal’s small Express store into a new era of relevancy. Although the Arsenal’s Exchange store is small in

stature, it has some of the same challenges as larger Exchange stores face, such as increasing foot traffic. “My main challenge is to transform the Ar-senal store into a place where existing custom-ers want to return and new customers become excited about checking us out,” Hammond said. “And so, I am working on a business plan that will not only maximize our shelf space, but will also offer something

new.” Increasing foot traffic should also be a priority for the Arsenal’s leadership. Up to two-thirds of Ex-change earnings are returned to the Arsenal’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs. In fact, more than $12,400 was returned to the Arsenal last fiscal year. For customers who need to grab a quick bite, the Express store offers on-the-go snacking and light meals. Snack Avenue is a special area inside the Ex-press store specifically geared to customers looking for a quick meal or snack. Several new items, such as Monster drinks, Fiji water, bottled smoothies, and juices, are now available. So, the next time you have an urge to shop, you may want to try the Express store in Building 40-4. Not only will you get a great price, part of the earn-ings will also remain at the Arsenal.


Army & Air Force Exchange Servicedeploys new manager here

By John B. Snyder

Pamela Hammond, the new manager of the Arsenal's Express store, wants to transform the small operation but requires the support of the workforce. The more the workforce shops at the Arsenal, the more upgrades Ham-mond will be able to make.

Photos by John B. Snyder


Come watch the Arsenal commander as he attempts to hit the ice with the puck

U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal's February 2016 newsletter: The Salvo

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