CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – In a major visit to the Letterkenny Army Depot on April 2, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Christopher LaNeve met with depot leadership and personnel to personally observe the depot's latest breakthroughs in air and missile defense sustainment.
“Hosting Gen. LaNeve afforded LEAD the opportunity to showcase our artisan workforce and their expert abilities to deliver precision sustainment to our Army, the Joint Force and our Allies,” said Col. Caleb Lewis, LEAD commander.
LaNeve and his staff toured one of the primary maintenance facilities at the depot and received capabilities updates on the following:
· Repair and Overhaul of PATRIOT and other Air Missile Defense Systems · Manufacturing and Fabrication of Subcomponents including Cables/Harnesses · Corrosion Repair and Expeditionary Competencies · Robotic Weld · Metal Treatment Processes
Dale McClanahan, LEAD Product Assurance director, led the tour through the facility and briefed LaNeve on how LEAD is a “system-of-system’s depot.”
“Our artisans combine their expertise and skill working on independent units to support a complex network,” explained McClanahan. “That synergy creates powerful capabilities that no single component could provide by itself.”
After the tour of the production facility, LaNeve visited LEAD’s Directorate of Missile and Aerospace Readiness, where he received updates on the PATRIOT and Hellfire weapons systems.
During his visit to DMAR, LaNeve learned more about missile assembly and disassembly; forward deployment capabilities; forebody testing; and subassembly testing, recertification, and repair.
"It was an honor to host Gen. LaNeve and demonstrate how the Letterkenny workforce is focused on sustaining today’s Army systems, while modernizing to support tomorrow’s combat formations," said Lewis. "His visit underscores the strategic importance of our depot in ensuring that our soldiers have the most advanced and reliable equipment ready for the multi-domain fight."