Courtesy Photo | From left to right: Charles Tallman, DCMA quality assurance representative; Allan...... read more read more
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Members of our Defense Contract Management Agency team here have a unique mission and a unique location to perform their quality assurance oversight responsibilities. Located south of Farmington, we provide oversight at a contractor facility situated on sovereign territory.
The Raytheon Missile Systems location, known as the Raytheon Diné Facility, is on Navajo Nation land and has approximately 200 employees. The facility, established in 1989, has a workforce that is about 90 percent Navajo and the majority of them (90 percent) are Navajo women. This facility is responsible for mechanical and electro-mechanical assembly of several missile systems used by all four branches of the U.S. military.
The Raytheon Diné Facility has celebrated two major accomplishments this year. First, the facility is celebrating its 25th anniversary, highlighting the long-standing relationship between the Navajo Nation and Raytheon. Second, a ceremonial groundbreaking for a $4.4 million, 30,000 square-foot warehouse expansion occurred earlier this month. Local, state, Navajo Nation and DCMA officials attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
“The Navajo Nation has a long and proud tradition of supporting America’s warfighters,” said Ben Shelly, Navajo Nation president, during the ceremony. Throughout his speech, it was evident that Shelly was proud of the cooperative effort between the Navajo Nation, Raytheon and the military. He expressed great optimism that the expansion will allow for support to the military for years to come.
According to Raytheon, the new construction will house both materials and completed projects in a secure on-site location, and allow for reconfiguration of the existing facility. The new facility will improve flow and provide additional space capable of expanding product lines in the future. This will benefit the contractor, and allow DCMA to provide more efficient and effective oversight.
Background of Navajo support
The Navajo Nation has a long history of supporting the military. One of the most talked about contributions the Navajo Nation provided to the military was during World War II when the original 29 Navajo code talkers created an undecipherable code never broken by the Japanese. Their code enabled messages to be transmitted by telephone and radio in their native language.
The Navajo code talkers took part in every assault the Marines conducted in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945, including Iwo Jima. At Iwo Jima, Marine Corps Maj. Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, declared, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.”
Unfortunately, 2014 brought the loss of the last of the original Navajo code talkers. Chester Nez was 93 years old when he passed away in June 2014. In one of his final interviews, he expressed pride in serving the U.S. during World War II, but was frustrated by the fact that the nation was asking him to speak the language he was forbidden to speak as a child.
The Navajo Nation extends into the states of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico and covers over 27,000 square miles. The Raytheon facility is just one example of Navajo continued support.
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2014 15:36 |
| Story ID: | 147075 |
| Location: | ALBUQUERQUE, NM, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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