Courtesy Photo | Brig. Gen. Ronnie Anderson Jr. (center), the commander of the Joint Munitions Command,...... read more read more
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — Brig. Gen. Ronnie Anderson Jr., the commander of the Joint Munitions Command, has five long-term strategic efforts he’s homing in on before his departure from JMC, which is headquartered at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois.
In mid-February, Anderson held his fifth enterprise-wide town hall since becoming JMC’s leader in June 2023, and he expressed to the command’s workforce what exactly is on the top of his list.
“I wanted to lay out for everybody the five priorities that I have to get across the finish line to set conditions for the command transition coming this summer,” Anderson said. “We’re not going to fix any of them before I leave, but my goal is to lay out a strategic path to overcome the challenges.”
Anderson is focusing on JMC’s safety program/process safety management, a bunker improvement strategy, counter unmanned aircraft system implementation, contract security guard mitigation, and a locomotive program strategy before he leaves JMC.
“We’re going to drive a lot of effort, a lot of energy and a lot of resources to get JMC into compliance with ASOHMS, the Army’s safety program. We aim to provide a safe workplace for everyone across the JMC enterprise,” Anderson said. “We must do it to ensure our people can go home safely to their loved ones at the end of the night. It’s not negotiable. I’m not going to bend. I’m not going to waiver. We’re going to push forward.”
JMC is implementing a strategy to invest in the over 10,700 bunkers and storage magazines across its enterprise so the command can extend their life, which ensures long-term operational readiness, and reduces the need for costly replacements. These bunkers and magazines store munitions for all of the Department of Defense.
“If we must start replacing them it’s going to cost over $1 million. The way things are going with construction, every six months the cost is probably going up $250,000 more,” Anderson said. “We owe it to the Army to educate them and ask for a Program Objective Memorandum task that develops a strategy of consistent investment for the next 20-30 years.
“We’re going to work with a lot of various organizations to identify what construction, what age, and what location needs to be addressed first and then we will make a program that is data driven to identify those that need to be addressed early and which ones we can address later in the strategy,” Anderson added.
The Blue Grass Army Depot, in Richmond, Kentucky, is a subordinate installation of JMC, and a lot of work has been done there with other government agencies regarding counter unmanned aircraft system implementation.
“They’ve been using artificial intelligence and affordable off-the-shelf technology that we can integrate into our existing security platforms,” Anderson said. “We’re working with our facilities readiness teams and the Organic Industrial Base modernization task force to get funding.
“We have to be able to detect and respond to UAS threats across all of our enterprise,” Anderson added. “Aligned with this is my priority to have consistent, security force control across the government-owned, government-operated and government-owned, contractor-operated facilities. We have to get this right, because in a large-scale conflict where the homeland is contested the OIB has to be secured and protected.”
JMC needs to sustain locomotives in an efficient and effective manner. A successful locomotive strategy is required for JMC’s installations to meet the command’s responsibility to outload stocks, and it should be one that accounts for installation readiness with its peak at full outload and its baseline at day-to-day operations as well.
“Regarding our locomotive program, there is risk in not modernizing it,” Anderson said. “We’ve made progress and can see pinholes of light in the darkness, and we will hopefully get some additional resources to help us.
“As we lay the groundwork today, we pave the way for a stronger, safer, and more resilient future for JMC," Anderson added. "Our dedication now will ensure JMC’s continued success.”
| Date Taken: | 03.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2025 09:12 |
| Story ID: | 491962 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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