TACOM case supports Colombian allies, U.S. interests

SIERRA ARMY DEPOT, CA, UNITED STATES

11.02.2020

Story by Adriane Elliot 

U.S. Army Security Assistance Command

Sierra Army Depot hosted a Colombian delegation led by Vice Minister of Defense Jairo García Guerrero, Vice Minister for Strategy and Planning for the Republic of Colombia, Nov. 2, 2020.

Guerrero met with several U.S. military representatives for a joint visual inspection (JVI) of 200 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles (ASVs) and to discuss the overhaul, shipment and long-term sustainment of the vehicles.

Colombia will receive the ASVs through an excess defense article (EDA) grant. EDA are equipment that are excess to Army requirements or no longer part of the Army inventory and have been designated available to approved international partners through the foreign military sales (FMS) process.

Using the FMS process to divest the U.S. of these items has numerous benefits – building partner capacity in a low-cost and effective manner; saving on potential storage and demilitarization costs; and offering opportunities for modernization, repair, renewal, and refurbishment work of EDA and FMS by public-private partnerships at U.S. depots.

U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command’s (TACOM) Security Assistance Management Directorate oversaw the EDA case development and inspection visit. SAMD representatives also provided critical counsel, briefing the minister of defense on available refurbishment options that included taking the ASVs “as-is,” depot renovation and contractor overhaul.

“Coordination between TACOM SAMD, our depots, USASAC and other stakeholders continue to prove successful for both the U.S. government and our allies,” said Jeffrey Marinuzzi, TACOM’s EDA lead. “This is a great example of how we support our nation’s industrial base while bolstering global partnerships.”

Marinuzzi has worked in security assistance for nearly 15 years and understands the real-world impact of the security assistance mission.

“When we strengthen our partners, we are strengthening U.S. national security, our Armed Forces, and allies across the globe who can better support joint operations,” he said. “Colombia, for example, is a strong partner to the United States in the areas of counterterrorism and counter-narcotics.”

Marinuzzi explained that the United States works closely with the Latin American nation to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups whose activities, like narco-trafficking, devastate both U.S. and Columbian citizens.

USASAC Commander Brig. Gen. Douglas Lowrey also attended the JVI to show his support and promote the industrial base. He emphasized the risk of acquiring vehicles without sustainment in his discussion with the Colombian minister.

When FMS customers enter into a total-package FMS case with the United States, they are purchasing a portfolio of services that includes training, spare parts, technical manuals and the full backing of the U.S. government.

Representatives from Red River Army Depot, known as a Center of Excellence for ASV refurbishment, also supported the JVI.

For more information about the Army’s FMS and security assistance, visit www.army.mil/usasac. Currently, USASAC at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, manages approximately 6,500 FMS cases valued at greater than $205 billion. The command interfaces with 119 security cooperation offices worldwide and provides security assistance and FMS to more than 150 nations and international partners.

For more information about TACOM, visit https://www.tacom.army.mil/. TACOM is a major subordinate command of Army Materiel Command. It manages the Army's ground equipment supply chain, which constitutes about 60 percent of the Army's total equipment. If a Soldier drives it, shoots it, wears it or eats it, TACOM sustains it.

• Date Taken: 11.02.2020
• Date Posted: 12.30.2020 12:36
• Story ID: 386004
• Location: SIERRA ARMY DEPOT, CA, US