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Defense Articles Some articles are
in pdf format. They are designated by a logo
"The United
States has long regarded its domestic military installations "Far from being
a windfall to the Defense Department, base closures again would prove
to be a costly undertaking, politically contentious and wasteful of an
irreplaceable national resource.... The solution preferred by many reformers
is based on the Army's highly successful Armament Retooling and Manufacturing
Support (ARMS) program. For almost 10 years, ARMS has transformed the
nation's government-owned, contractor-operated munitions industrial base
from one that was wasteful and inefficient to one that boasts higher levels
of readiness at reduced cost." When Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his advisers are not discussing the latest developments in the war on terrorism or emerging threats to U.S. security, it is a good bet the subject is "transformation." Since assuming office
18 months ago, Secretary Rumsfeld has made the reform of the Pentagon's
antiquated acquisition process among his highest priorities. Driven by
budget levels insufficient to meet the Pentagon's emerging modernization
needs, Rumsfeld has set about to find new and creative ways to equip,
train, and field the military of the future. "A success of
the U.S. Army's Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support (ARMS) Program
was displayed during the recent meeting of the Public/Private Task Force
(PPTF)... The three-day PPTF meeting took place in Gulfport, Mississippi
during 27-29 March 2001 amidst the smells of hearty Cajun cooking, the
company of well-known and new friends and the gracious hospitality of
the Mason Technologies team at Mississippi AAP (MiSSAP)." "Omitted from
serious discussion were promising technologies now in rapid development
or in the final stages of prototype testing. In at least one case, a new
technology currently being funded by the U.S. government and showing success
in laboratory trials, was omitted in the commissions's long-term strategy
recommendations. The technology is known as pulsed fast neutron analysis
(PFNA), a nonintrusive cargo inspection system that automatically, and
in virtually real time, can reveal the contents of any sealed container." "As President
Clinton and the nation struggle to adjust to the latest round of base
closures, there exists a practical, proven, solution to the problem of
military downsizing that has been virtually ignored by the administration.
It is called the Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support (ARMS) Initiative
and it is being successfully implemented by the Army at government-owned,
contractor-operated plants around the country." "The goal of
the armament retooling and manufacturing support initiative is simple
- to create jobs, stimulate the economy, and preserve vital elements of
the defense manufacturing bases. It does this by opening up 23 government-owned,
contractor-operated ammunition plants to defense and non-defense use.
The plan is for arsenals of the Cold War to become engines of prosperity,
bringing new private investment and manufacturing opportunities to communities
long dependent on government spending." "Established
this year as part of the 1993 Defense Appropriations Act, the Armament
Retooling and Manufacturing Support (ARMS) Initiative is now among the
nation's leading defense conversion programs. ARMS targets the active
and inactive government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) ammunition plants
for commercial defense and non-defense use."
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