This is the U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal's monthly newsletter called The Salvo. The Salvo contains the latest stories and information that pertains to the Army's manufacturing center at Watervliet. The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned and operated manufacturing center having established operations in upstate New York in 1813.

1. THE
Vol. 14, No. 1
SALVO
U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal Jan. 31, 2014
NY State VFW
Commander
Michael Pascal
visits Watervliet,
Benét
Story on page 3
Photo by John B. Snyder

2. Page 2
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
Commander’s
Corner
As many of you know, the President recently signed a
$1.1 trillion spending bill that will fund the U.S. government through September. This followed a two-year
omnibus budget agreement passed by Congress in December. At first glance, this is good news because for
the first time in many years, the Defense Department has
a budget earlier in the fiscal year, and maybe, some clarity out into fiscal year 2015. But we are not out of the
woods yet in regards to fiscal uncertainty.
What the budget will do is it will provide a degree of
fidelity in how the Army will fund this year’s operations,
to include procurement and research & development,
both of which impact the arsenal. What it won’t do is
to completely unravel a very restrictive fiscal tool called
sequestration.
As you may recall, sequestration mandated such things
as a hiring freeze, very restrictive use of overtime, and
constraints on travel. Sequestration also had such detrimental effects to our workload that several programs
were moved to the right. In essence, several productions
lines were delayed. And, without requirements,,weapons
program managers were unable to start new work.
I am hopeful, however, that in the near future new guidance regarding overtime and hiring authority may ease
the current constraints for both actions.
Commander, Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr.
Public Affairs Officer, John B. Snyder
Editor, John B. Snyder
Photographer: John B. Snyder
Arsenal Facebook Page @
http://on.fb.me/sq3LEm
Given that we are already four months into this fiscal
year, I am cautiously optimistic that new budget guidance will effect this year’s or even next year’s production. Nevertheless, at the time of this column, major
Army staffs, organizations, and installations, such as the
Watervliet Arsenal, anxiously wait for detailed funding
guidance. And so, I ask you all to be patient and as soon
as I receive fiscal guidance that will affect the arsenal or
you, I will share it.
In the meantime, please do all that you can to add value
to the arsenal, whether it is by being better today at what
you do than you were yesterday or by simply being better stewards of our resources. Every savings count!
Lee H. Schiller Jr.
Commanding
Manufacturer 6
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 Department 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:
john.b.snyder.civ@mail.mil. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted
for publication.

3. Page 3
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
VFW leader makes historic trip
to historic arsenal
By John B. Snyder
Lee Bennett, the Director of the Army’s Benét Laboratories that is collocated on the arsenal, echoed Schiller’s com“This is your arsenal,” said Watervliet Arsenal Comments regarding today’s value the arsenal has to U.S. troops
mander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. to Michael Pascal, the com- by saying, “We don’t stop doing research and design once
mander of New York State’s Veterans of Foreign Wars, dur- the product leaves the arsenal...we always pride ourselves
ing a visit this month
at our ability to do prodby Pascal. Schiller ofuct improvement long
ten explains to visitors
after the weapon system
that because the arsenal
has been fielded.”
is an Army-owned and
During Pascal’s
operated manufacturing
three-hour visit, Arsenal
center it is here for the
and Benét leadership
community and nation.
took Pascal on a jourPascal, who was
ney to memory lane as
elected state comPascal often stopped
mander on June 15,
and recalled a weapon
2013, was presented
system that he had seen
with 200 years of arsewhile serving in Vietnal history during his
nam in the 1960s. This
first visit to this historic
was certainly a visit that
post. Woven into the
went beyond simple
organizational charts
charts and production
and mission slides that
numbers.
are a customary part
At the end of the
of every Army briefday, Pascal and his
ing, Schiller hit on the
District 3 commander,
responsiveness that an
Eugene Ratigliano,
Army-owned and opbecame witnesses in
erated manufacturing
the tremendous manucenter provides to our
facturing synergy ofnation.
fered at the Watervliet
“Any urgent need
Arsenal.
that the Defense DeThere is no other
partment may have,
place in the Department
from providing 155 mm
of Defense where those
cannons to our Soldiers
who do research and
to 60 mm mortars to
design, such as Benét
foreign militaries, are
Photos by John B. Snyder Labs, are within a fivequickly manufactured Top: Deputy Commander Ed McCarthy, r, explaining a new process of mortar pro- minute walk from those
duction to NYS VFW Commander Michael Pascal, c, while Director of Benét Labs
and shipped from the
who will turn blueprints
Lee Bennett listens in.
arsenal each month
into finished machined
Bottom: Take a look at the tube that machinist Ryan Putnam is bending under
with an on-time deliv- more than 350 tons of pressure while Deputy Commander Ed McCarthy, r, explain- products, the Watervliet
ery rate that exceeds 96 ing why the tube must be placed under so much pressure. NYS VFW Commander Arsenal, Schiller said.
Michael Pascal, second from right, Benét Labs Director Lee Bennett, second from
percent,” Schiller said. left, and VFW District 3 Commander Eugene Ratigliano listen in.
Pascal thanked the
“Our products have
arsenal not only for the
helped hundreds of thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen,
briefing and the tour, but also for the arsenal’s 200 years of
and Marines since 1813 to come home safely.”
service to the nation.

4. Page 4
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
D ifficult environment has arsenal
anxiously awaiting
new fiscal guidance
John B. Snyder
Earlier this month, the President signed a $1.1 trillion spending
bill that will fund the U.S. government through September. After a
three-year pay freeze and six days of furloughs last year, there are
many at the arsenal who celebrated this action because in this new
appropriation the Army may be able to claw back billions of dollars
from targeted cuts due to sequestration.
Before the workforce gets too giddy, however, not all required
funding will be obtained by the Army and as a result, major Army
staffs, organizations, and installations, such as the Watervliet
Arsenal, now anxiously await detailed funding guidance.
Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr., the commander of the Watervliet
Arsenal, said that within the bill, there are glimmers of hope that
more workload may come to the arsenal, but there are also areas of
concern.
“The bottom line is that fiscal year 2013 was an extremely difficult
manufacturing environment for the arsenal and 2014 remains a big
unknown,” Schiller said. “Given that we are already four months
into this fiscal year, I am cautiously optimistic that new budget
guidance will effect this year’s or even next year’s production.”
A 1975 Fires Bulletin from Fort Sill talks about a
Thermal Warning Device for howitzers. Sometimes
Because of the long lead time to procure raw stock material for
“old” is “new,” as Benét Labs has recently demany of the items the arsenal manufactures, it may be 12 to 18
signed an Electrical Thermal Warning Device.
months from the receipt of an order before the first shipment begins.
In 2013, sequestration not only made Defense Department program managers,
those who order weapon systems and components, hesitant to place new orders,
it also negatively effected the arsenal’s current operations. Several lines of
production were slipped to a later delivery date due to such things as a hiring
freeze that prohibited the arsenal from filling critical vacancies and, as previously
mentioned, furloughs.
Two budget areas the arsenal is now closely following are funding for
procurement and research & development, both of which directly or indirectly
influence the arsenal’s long-term viability.
Procurement may be the most obvious indicator of where future workload
may come from as funding for new weapon systems or product improvements for
current systems may start to flow.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently stated, “While the budget doesn’t
Photo provided by Benét Labs
Benét Laboratories designed
solve every budget problem facing DOD, it will help address our military readiness
this new Electronic Thermal
Warning Device for the M777 155
mm howitzer.
Story continues on page 5, Value

5. Page 5
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
Value Cont.
challenges by restoring funding for training and
procurement, especially in FY 2014.”
The fact that Hagel highlighted procurement may be
good news for the Army’s industrial base.
Although the arsenal does not directly conduct
weapons research and development, it relies heavily
on those organizations that do, such as Army’s Benét
Laboratories that is collocated on the arsenal.
Benét Labs is the Army’s research, development, and
prototype authority for large caliber cannon and mortar
systems and is responsible for the lifecycle of mortars,
tank guns, and artillery cannons.
Although Benét Labs was officially established in
1962, its origins and support to arsenal manufacturing
date back to the 1840s when the arsenal established
a research facility on post along the banks of the Erie
Canal.
So, what happens to Benét, in regards to research
and development funding affects the arsenal. Just
about every arsenal item of production, from 155 mm
howitzer cannons to 60 mm inconel mortar tubes, can
trace its roots to Benét Labs.
The advantages of having Benét Labs on the arsenal
go beyond the tremendous synergy that is achieved by
having a research and design team just a five-minute
walk from those who will manufacture the product.
Benét Labs also brings workload to the arsenal as it
uses arsenal manufacturing to assist in such things as
prototype development. Once the prototype is proved
out, what better place for production to begin than with
the arsenal that now has the tooling in place and the
manufacturing expertise to go into full production.
But when Defense Department R&D budgets get
cut, such as what happened in this year’s appropriations
bill, Benét Labs and arsenal leaders know that there will
be a trickle-down effect that may touch programs Benét
Labs is working and thus, on many of the arsenal’s
programs, too.
Besides the workload for large caliber weapon
systems and components, Benét supports the
development of many products that do not have the
visibility that major weapons programs do.
To support combat operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan, Benét worked on programs such as armor
protection kits for wheeled vehicles to Abrams tank
Photo by John B. Snyder
Stephen Bartolucci, Ph.D., a U.S. Army Benét Laboratories materials scientist, is doing research using a $1.5 million Dual-Beam Field
Emission Microscope that was recently placed into operation. Benét
Labs is collocated on the Watervliet Arsenal providing unique synergy by having research and design engineers within a five-minute walk
of an Army manufacturing center.
cooling kits for crews to forward observer/forward air
controller radio kits.
Today, Benét is working on several low visibility
programs but ones that have the ability to either make
our troops more lethal or more survivable on the
battlefield.
In 2009, Benét Labs began research and
development on a product called an Electronic Thermal
Warning Device (ETWD) for the M777 lightweight
towed howitzer. After years of research, design, and
testing, the Army gave its approval to go into full
production last fall.
But thermal warning devices (TWD) are not new to
the Army’s field artillery.
In the 1974 Fires Bulletin from Fort Sill, Okla.,
then 2nd Lt. Arnold M. Manaker discussed several
major product improvements, such as a thermal
warning device. This device allowed advance cannon
technology to achieve extended ranges and a higher
volume of fire by managing thermal and mechanical
stresses.
Christopher Smith, a mechanical engineer with
Benét Labs, further explained the TWD shows the
temperature of the tube so that a cannon crewman may
take proper action during a cook-off of propellants and
or a projectile, or may be used to assist in determining
barrel wear.
Story continues on page 6, Value

6. Page 6
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
Value Cont.
“What is significantly different with the electronic
thermal warning device is that the older device
used mercury to measure temperature,” Smith said.
“The electronic version provides a more accurate
measurement of tube heat under heavy stress and does
so without any environmental concerns.”
A few buildings away from Smith is Stephen
Bartolucci, Ph.D., a Benét Labs materials scientist,
Photo by John B. Snyder
who is doing research using a $1.5 million Dual-Beam
Ryan Rousseau, a mechanical engineering technician in the fatigue
Field Emission Microscope that he recently placed into
lab at Benét, raised awareness to the Benét leadership about the
high level of city water consumption and environmental risk caused
operation.
by the open-loop cooling systems in his lab. Here, he is standing
“The capability that this microscope provides puts
next to the chiller that he just installed.
Benét on an even playing field with academic and
the open-loop cooling systems in his lab. Annual water
other research facilities in the field of nanotechnology,”
consumption was averaging about 600,000 gallons a
Bartolucci said. “We can now see the affects that
year.
occur when the microscope’s ion beam is directed at
On his own initiative, Rousseau designed and built
a composite tube and do so at resolutions 50 thousand
a closed loop-system using mostly repurposed and
times smaller than the thickness of a human hair.”
underutilized equipment. The required equipment and
Why is this important? By injecting such things as
components were gathered from terminated projects,
nanotubes or by reconfiguring the basic structure of
scrap bins, storage rooms, then modified and put to use.
the atoms in steel alloys, cannon tubes may eventually
With the support of fellow lab worker, Mike Knapp, this
be made stronger, be able to
project was completed in about
withstand higher heat, and
seven months.
be made with much lighter
If Benét Labs had to
material. This is a potential
purchase the chiller it would
win for the Soldier who is
have cost the organization
always concerned with tube
more than $150,000.
heat, the logistics planner who
Rousseau completed the
must move the cannon, and
job for about $2,500 and
for the arsenal that may end up
that doesn’t address the cost
with a future production order.
avoidance for the arsenal of
Beyond the R&D that
not having to purchase nearly
supports arsenal production,
600,000 gallons of water a
Benét Labs continuously seek
year.
ways to be a good tenant on
While DOD budget
the arsenal by its controlling
gurus are now assessing
operation costs.
the 1,500-plus pages of
Ryan Rousseau, a
the appropriations bill, the
mechanical engineering
Watervliet Arsenal and Benét
technician in the fatigue lab
Labs anxiously wait for
at Benét, raised awareness
detailed funding guidance,
to the Benét leadership
Photo provided by Benét Labs which is something both
about the high level of city
organizations have been doing
Ryan Rousseau, a mechanical engineering technician in the
fatigue lab at Benét, searched high and low for underutilized together for more than 170
water consumption and
equipment and then repurposed those items saving the Army
years.
environmental risk caused by nearly $150,000.

7. Page 7
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
CPAC -
Civilian Personnel Advisory Center
Protect Yourself, Save Money, & Maximize Your Retirement
What You May Not Know About Sick Leave
In the federal government, sick leave not only provides protection of income during routine illnesses, but also serves as a form of short-term disability insurance. You earn six months of paid
sick leave for every 10 years of federal service. Your sick leave provides a valuable safety net if you
get sick or hurt and can’t work for an extended period of time.
Your chances of being disabled at some time during your career are probably higher than you
think. According to the Social Security Administration, studies show that a 20-year-old worker has
a 30 percent chance of becoming disabled before reaching retirement age. Accruing your sick leave
not only provides a safety net for unexpected times of illness, but it can also add to your length of
service when it comes time for retirement.
Both permanent and temporary employees earn sick leave. The earning rate differs based on their
work schedules. All full-time employees regardless of their length of service earn four hours of sick
leave each full bi-weekly pay period. Part time employees earn one hour of leave for every twenty
hours in a pay status. Employees do not accrue sick leave in a pay period in which leave without
pay (LWOP) or absence without leave (AWOL) reaches 80 hours.
Balance in the Bank
Federal employees are not compensated for their unused sick leave. However, when you retire, the
balance of your sick leave is converted to months and days of service and added to the length of
service used to compute your retirement benefits. Both CSRS and FERS employees receive credit
for their unused sick leave and there is no limitation on the amount of sick leave that can be accumulated.
Also, remember the cost you’re avoiding by accumulating sick leave. A disability insurance policy
for an employee earning $60,000 a year is about $40 a month. Many insurance companies won’t
sell disability insurance to federal employees since they already have coverage for short-term
disabilities (through sick leave) and long-term disabilities (through federal disability retirement
programs). It is important to note that as Federal employees, we cannot receive NYS Disability.
If you have any questions regarding sick leave, contact the CPAC office on extension
4066 or 5400.

8. Page 8
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
Sequester-constrained arsenal
welcomes, cheers small contracts
of time.
President Barack Obama signed on December 26 a NaThe Watervliet Arsenal announced this month that it
tional Defense Authorization Act funding the Defense Dereceived a contract valued at more than $1 million to man- partment at $526.8 billion for fiscal year 2014. Congress,
ufacture 81 mm mortar clamp assemblies for the Army’s
this month, had to reconcile an omnibus budget, which
TACOM Life Cycle Management Command.
appropriates money, with the president’s NDAA. Out of
“This million dollar order will add to our current work- this reconciled budget came more specification in regards
load more than 3,000 hours of direct labor,” said Ed Stew- to how DOD will fund its operations this year.
art, the arsenal’s program manager for the mortar order.
One must also keep in mind that the arsenal is already
“We will begin shipping in February 2015 and will comin the fourth month of fiscal year 2014. By the time guidplete the order by May 2015.”
ance comes from Congress, through DOD, and then finally
The arsenal completed nearly $100 million in orders
from the Army’s senior leaders to the Watervliet Arsenal,
last year and at first glance, this order might seem insigthis fiscal year will be about half over. Due to this budget
nificant, said Ray Gaston, the arsenal’s chief of production uncertainty and its delay in guidance, there simply may not
planning and control.
be much time to influence this year’s manufacturing levels,
“Given the continued uncertainty with the defense bud- as lead time for raw stock material for manufacturing can
get, weapons program managers are now very cautious in
take up to 18 months from the time an order is received.
soliciting new work,” Gaston said. “And so, we now celCompound that budget shortfall with a planned withebrate all orders, big or small, as a major achievement.”
drawal of combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of
But are small contracts the future for the historic arse2014, and the downsizing of Army force levels from about
nal?
540,000 Soldiers to 490,000 by September 2015, a rather
The arsenal worked very hard in fiscal year 2013 to
bleak future is painted for defense manufacturing beyond
operate within the framework of sequestration by reducfiscal year 2014.
ing its cost structure through an implementation of a hiring
Quite simply, the U.S. military will become smaller and
freeze and a very limited, and heavily
leaner. A smaller army means that
scrutinized, use of overtime to supthere will be fewer combat brigades
port the mission. These and other
that will use many of the weapon syssteps helped to reduce operating costs
tems and parts the arsenal manufacby more than $8 million in fiscal year
tures. Estimates are that up to 10 bri2013. For fiscal year 2014, the arsenal
gade combat teams may be inactivated
will further lower its cost of operation
over the next two years.
through such actions as reducing the
The arsenal is looking very hard at
size of its workforce and by limiting
how to make up some of the potential
capital investments.
workload fallout by seeking publicBut sequestration has not gone
private partnerships and by tapping
away, albeit, it may not be as painful
into foreign military sales. In the
as it was in 2013 due to the bipartisan
meantime, the arsenal will celebrate
two-year budget agreement passed by
all contracts, no matter how small.
Congress last month that capped DOD
Stewart and Gaston both agree that
funding at about $498 billion for fiscal
given this era of fiscal uncertainty
year 2014.
Photo by John B. Snyder even a small order is essential to susArsenal apprentice Scott Dingwall working
Congressional appropriation comtaining the critical machining skills
on 81 mm mortar baseplates in early January
mittees are now hard at work but they 2014. Dingwall is in his second year of the ap- required for today’s and tomorrow’s
prentice program.
are running up against the tyranny
weapons systems.
By John B. Snyder

9. Page 9
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
Benét Labs’ technician
creates a “chilling” effect
on fatigue lab
By John B. Snyder
In the Army’s Benét Laboratories there is an arsenal of fatigue lab, he took the initiative to learn 3-D computer
scientists and engineers with advanced degrees who make design, among other things, that have added value to his
team.
up over half of its workforce. Their work in designing
Recently, and on his own initiative, Ryan took on
improvements for large caliber weapon systems to
a herculean task of researching,
looking at nanotechnology for future
designing, and fabricating a new
systems is quietly performed in the
cooling system for his lab that will
confines of the Watervliet Arsenal.
save nearly 600,000 gallons of water
But in an era of sequestration
a year.
or what is commonly known in the
He recently completed the job by
Department of Defense as a period of
repurposing underutilized equipment
“fiscal uncertainty,” one can anticipate
that was in storage rooms, scrap bins,
a very competitive spirit to rise within
and on shop floors. If Benét Labs
the Army as each organization will
was to outsource this endeavor, from
fight for their piece of the defense
design to installation to the purchase
budget pie.
of new equipment, the cost would
You can already see this fight on
have been approximately $150,000.
the front pages of major newspapers
Ryan completed the job for about
as the U.S. Navy, Marines, Air Force,
$2,500.
Army, National Guard, and Reserves
Not only does his initiative avoid
are jockeying each other in advance
significant costs in the future, it also
of budget guidance. Each wants to
brings value back to underutilized
protect their organizations from cuts
equipment, while making Benét Labs
and so, they are making their case
a good steward of the environment.
as to their value to DOD and to the
Although Ryan’s talents and
nation.
Photo by John B. Snyder
initiative are well known and
What is interesting about Benét
appreciated at the highest levels of Benét Labs, it may be
Labs is that the workforce seems to get it. The “it” being
is that the workforce understands that they must increase
a comment from Alice Crayon, the chief of Benét Labs’
their organization’s value to the Army in everything they
Armament Technologies Division, who sums Ryan up
do.
best.
And so, along comes Ryan Rousseau, a mechanical
“He is indeed a very uniquely talented individual and
engineering technician, who recently stepped up to the
one of the most gracious people I know,” Crayon said.
challenge to enhance Benét Lab’s value.
“We are very fortunate to have him working with us.”
Ryan has been known as a self-starter long before he
In his spare time, Ryan is now attending the University
began working at Benét Labs in 2009. After high school, of New York at Albany to obtain a bachelors degree in
Ryan put himself through four mechanical vocational
Physics. He said he believes that once he has his fourprograms en route to him becoming a master mechanic
year degree in hand that he will make an even bigger
for a local BMW dealership. While working full time at
impact for Benét Labs and thus, for the Army.
the dealership, Ryan put himself through a mechanical
Given Ryan’s track record, many believe he will, too.
engineering program at Hudson Valley Community
For all that Ryan has done, and for what he will do in
College in Troy, N.Y.
the future for the Army, he is very deserving to be this
In the five years he has been working in Benét Lab’s
month’s Arsenal Face of Strength.

10. Page 10
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
Praising those who
make a difference in
our
communities ...
The American Legion
By John B. Snyder
Hundreds of American Legion leadership from throughout New York
State converged on the state’s Capital District Jan. 24 - 26 to address
Veteran, youth, and community issues and the Watervliet Arsenal was
there. Arsenal Commander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. was the guest
speaker for the general session of the three-day event.
Whereas, the former arsenal commander last year focused on the
Arsenal’s historic 200th anniversary and the need to work better together
to support New York’s communities, Schiller focused his comments
on highlighting the great work the Legion and Veterans do for the
community, state, and for the country.
Photo by John B. Snyder
Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. providing remarks during
the NY American Legion’s Mid-Winter Conference
to several hundred Legion leaders from throughout
New York.
“One of the highlights of my command is my opportunity to engage
various community organizations and community leaders about today’s
military, the arsenal, and about the service to our country by those who have worn our nation’s uniform, in essence,
our veterans,” Schiller said. “Veterans are the glue to the great American tapestry that binds our communities to our
military, but even saying that does not give you (Legion) credit for the all the great work that you do.”
Schiller explained that something magical happens when a servicemember returns home and becomes a Veteran
because most Veterans feel that their obligation to their country does not end when they take off their uniform for the
last time.
“When a veteran steps back into the community, those obligations are forever inherent in their being,” Schiller said.
“But it is how that veteran leverages their values and life skills that move them from simply being a good addition to
the community to becoming significant in the community.”
Schiller praised the Legion members for not simply blending back into their communities, as evidenced by the Legion’s
involvement is such programs as Boys State, college scholarships, and to homeless and hospitalized Veterans.
Among the praise, Schiller also had a challenge to the Legion leadership.
“So, here we have two great icons of the community, the Watervliet Arsenal and the American Legion, both support
the community, Veterans, and service members,” Schiller said. “I am a strong believer that operations have a better
opportunity for success if they are integrated and synchronized with other organizations that can provide value.”
Schiller then closed by offering the Legion to join with them as they cross the line of departure into the community as
one team to ensure that together the two organizations, Legion and the arsenal, better meet their obligation to those who
have served, who serve today, and to those who will serve tomorrow.

11. Page 11
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
Telling the arsenal,
your story
“HOMETOWN NEWS SERVICE”
The Joint Hometown News Service (JHNS) manages the Department of Defense’s Hometown News program,
supporting the military services. The JHNS staff of military and civilian personnel produces a variety of print
and electronic news products highlighting the accomplishments and worldwide activities of individual members
of the U.S. armed forces. Each year over 500,000 individual news releases are distributed to the 14,000 newspapers, television and radio stations subscribing to Hometown's free service.
The arsenal leadership wants to let our community know what you have accomplished and one of the methods
we may use is the Hometown News Service program. This is a simple and efficient process that lets us tell our
community and your family your news. This program is open to all arsenal civilian and military personnel.
The Hometown News Service program takes the information you provide and produces a short story, then they
market that story to news agencies in your hometown areas. They do this with the information that you provide,
so please be as accurate and thorough as you can. It will only take a couple of minutes to fill out the form.
Some of the examples for which you can fill out the Hometown News Release Form are:
•
Graduation from military schools
•
Promotions
•
Participation in major exercises or overseas deployments
•
Awards of Army Achievement Medal or higher
•
Retirement
•
Receipt of college degree, include field of study
•
Competition winners
HOW TO:
Go to this link: https://jhns.release.dma.mil/public/form
When filling out the form, YOU MUST enter "U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal" as Post/Base and "U.S. Army
Watervliet Arsenal" as the Unit.
From there, the form is self explanatory or you can hover over the question marks on the form for help. The
form will be submitted for approval and then sent on to our local news agencies. Please ensure that you attach
all supporting documents for the event for example: promotion orders, copies of the degree, copies of the citation etc. Without these we can’t process your release. Picture attachments are encouraged.
The event or news should be recent. I would say within one week of the event so that your story will have a
better opportunity to be picked up by the media.
If you need help or wish assistance filling out the form, please call or email the arsenal public affairs officer,
John Snyder, at 266-5055 or john.b.snyder.civ@mail.mil

12. Page 12
Salvo
Jan. 31, 2014
Although the process has changed,
our efforts to improve quality control
have not
By Mark Koziol
In the early days of the Watervliet Arsenal, quality control was simple. During the 1800s, various sizes
of cannon balls were manufactured to specifications that ensured that they could be safely fired in the field.
Samples of artillery ammo were checked using “go/no go” wooden gauges that verified the diameter of artillery
rounds. This simple, quality control method was critical because if the cannon ball was too large, it would not
fit in the barrel. If too small, then there would not be sufficient pressure to push the ball out to the desired effective range.
One of the first 20th century practitioners of efficient production was Henry Ford. The Model T, manufactured from 1907 to 1926, became more profitable when in 1913 Ford implemented “Just In Time” manufacturing practices. Continuous car manufacturing occurred when a steady stream of uniform, interchangeable parts
was assembled with standardized work procedures. In the 1930s, Taichi Ohno, a Toyota plant manager, came
to the U.S. to study Ford’s techniques. Collaboration ceased with the start of World War II.
During World War II, the U.S. faced a critical shortage of skilled workers as significant numbers of draft eligible men left the defense industry just as the government’s demand for ordnance materiel increased. To solve
this problem, the Department of War created the Training Within Industry (TWI) program.
TWI sent educated trainers to defense manufacturing plants to train inexperienced workers who were needed
to replace the workforce now deployed overseas. These workers needed to quickly develop skills to manufacture war products; measure the quality of their work; evaluate the efficiency of their jobs; and find ways to improve their processes. By 1945, more than 1.5 million workers in over 16,000 plants were TWI certified.
After World War II, the practices of the TWI program found fertile ground in Japan thanks to the U.S. Marshall Plan that focused on rebuilding the economies of Germany and Japan.
W. Edwards Deming was an engineer, mathematician and physicist by training. He developed sampling
techniques in the 1940s that he then applied to military production specifications, then called “American War
Standards.” Deming’s philosophy of data analysis and quality control found its way into Japanese business,
while he served on the staff of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo as part of the post-World War II support of
Japan.
Deming’s model became Total Quality Management (TQM). In the 1950s, TQM and TWI were integrated
into the Toyota car manufacturing model, which already included elements of Henry Ford’s efficiency innovations. These models evolved into the Toyota Production System (TPS).
About 12 years ago, the U.S. Army introduced Lean Six Sigma as a continuous improvement model. The
commonality between VE, LEAN and Six Sigma is the focus on reduction of waste. In the summer of 2003,
the arsenal announced that it would adopt and implement this philosophy to eliminate waste in both manufacturing and administrative areas. By 2010, the arsenal reported that $20 million dollars in savings had been recorded on just one product line ... the armor protection kit program.
Adopting such wise business practices has ensured that during both good and bad economic times the arsenal has stayed competitive. Since the 1800s, the arsenal’s collective effort to improve its processes has made it
more attractive to those who wish to buy military hardware, as well as attaining hundreds of millions of dollars
in cost savings and avoidance since the first days of operation on that summer day in July 1813.