Photo By Ariana Aubuchon | Capt. Tim James, commanding officer, Naval Support Activity Orlando (NSA Orlando), and...... read more read more
Local Army and Navy leaders took part in a groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 18, where an M2A1 105mm howitzer will be placed on permanent display on board Naval Support Activity Orlando (NSA Orlando) near the headquarters for the U. S. Army’s Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI).
The groundbreaking ceremony and future static display are part of the 50th anniversary celebration of PEO STRI, which traces its history back to Dec. 23, 1974, with the establishment of Project Manager Training Devices (PM TRADE) as the U. S. Army’s first chartered project management office.
“PM TRADE provides live institutional, home station, and collective training capability that directly increases the lethality, survivability, and mobility the readiness of U.S. Army Soldiers,” said Col. Thomas R. Monaghan Jr., the current project manager at PM TRADE who led efforts to acquire and display the artillery piece. “Since its inception, PM TRADE has been, and remains, a cornerstone of Army training, preparing America’s sons and daughters to move forward into harm’s way to defeat America’s adversaries.”
According to Monaghan, the M2A1 was the U. S. Army’s light field howitzer in World War II and saw action in both the European and Pacific theaters, as well as in the Korean War. The one that will be displayed at NSA Orlando is on loan from the National Infantry Museum located at Fort Moore, Georgia.
“In 2011, I first came to PEO STRI as a major fresh out of combat. For 14 years it bugged me that there were no Army displays here. Now that I am back as a colonel, it was very important to me to get us a display,” Monaghan said. “I am proud to be a part of this dynamic team and a part of PM TRADE’s longstanding legacy of excellence as we continue to do our part in building America’s Warfighters.”
Monaghan joined U. S. Navy Capt. Tim James, commanding officer of NSA Orlando and the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD), to break ground on the howitzer project with a ceremonial shovel.
“We are a joint base in spirit, if not in title,” James said in welcoming the crowd to the ceremony. “We are always looking for ways to improve if you have them pass them up (to us)."
James emphasized activities like the groundbreaking ceremony help to enhance camaraderie among all the military and civilian personnel from the different service branches who work at NSA Orlando. Much like the Navy aircraft currently displayed on board NSA Orlando pay tribute to the Sailors and Marines served by NAWCTSD and the U. S. Marine Corps Program Manager Training Systems (PM TRASYS), the howitzer will honor the service of Army Soldiers who are served by the professionals at PEO STRI.
"I want to make this a place you want to be; I want to make it as appealing as possible because this is the best place for you do your work," said James. “We are looking for good ideas to continue events like this and keep the NSA Orlando family alive and well.”
While PEO STRI and PM TRADE are currently celebrating their 50th anniversary, the history of the U. S. Army and Navy working together in the field of training and simulation goes back much further.
In 1950, the Secretaries of the Army and Navy signed an agreement that integrated a small portion of Army officers, and civilians into the activities of the Naval Training Systems Center. This group of Army officers and civilians, known as the “Army Participation Group”, became the first program executive office in America to support the Army through simulation training.
In 1974, this team became known as PM TRADE and moved from Fort Moore (then Fort Benning), Georgia, to Orlando, Florida, in 1978. PM TRADE relocated to its current home at NSA Orlando in 1988, and became part of the U.S. Army Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM) just a few years later in 1992. In 2003, STRICOM evolved to become PEO STRI and expanded fielded systems to deployed troops by brining training devices to Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Today, PEO STRI is one of 12 program executive offices under the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, and is the U.S. Army’s acquisition lead in delivering unmatched testing, training, and information operations to enhance operational readiness in support of national defense. The PEO STRI workforce is comprised of more than 1,200 highly skilled and diverse active duty, civilian, and contract personnel who work with high-caliber Army partners to enhance operational readiness and support the Army’s modernization efforts while accelerating today’s training to defeat tomorrow’s threats.
| Date Taken: | 12.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2024 15:51 |
| Story ID: | 488019 |
| Location: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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