Picatinny hosts community partners with focus on forging intergovernmental support agreements

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - More than 40 officials representing multiple northern New Jersey municipalities met with their government counterparts at Picatinny Arsenal during a Community Partners meeting at The Club at Picatinny on Sep. 26.

The group, made up primarily of law enforcement, fire and emergency responders, Department of Public Works officials, and school and medical liaison officers, was briefed by subject matter experts who perform similar workplace duties within the U.S. Army installation's cannon gates.

Because Picatinny employees live in many of the communities that were represented, the purpose of the gathering was to express how the installation's mission supports the nation, and how those neighboring municipalities contribute to that success, while also holding conversations that may result in mutual partnerships.

Picatinny Arsenal is one of the top three employers in Morris County, New Jersey, according to the Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation, and supports the Army priorities of People, Readiness and Modernization. The installation's capabilities are unique and vital to the nation, as the workforce leads the advancement of armament technologies and engineering innovation for the U.S. military.

The Picatinny Arsenal garrison supports mission partners that use unique laboratories, special facilities, and various performance measures to evaluate prototype designs, thus reducing development cycle time.

Examples of Picatinny's scope of work include improvised explosive device (IED) defeat technologies, drones, precision-guided munitions, mortars, fire-control systems, small-arms weapon systems, howitzers, gunner protection armor, warheads, fuzes, and insensitive munitions, along with small, medium, and large caliber conventional ammunition.

Together, Lt. Col. Craig Bonham II, Picatinny Arsenal Garrison Commander, and Timothy Rider, Public Affairs Officer for the installation's largest tenant organization, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, described to the audience the installation's mission in support of the nation's warfighters.

"My role here on the Arsenal is similar to that of a mayor of a municipality," the garrison commander said. "I am making sure that public works, utilities and emergency services are taken care of. Most of you in this room are very familiar with what I am describing," Bonham added, comparing certain garrison operations to those of nearby towns.

"It takes a great number of subject matter experts to keep me informed so that I can make day-to-day decisions that keep this well-oiled machine that is Picatinny Arsenal running," said Bonham.

"Many of those experts are here in this room, they are your counterparts, and the intent is for you to make that face-to-face connection."

In his closing comments, Bonham informed the visitors and Picatinny personnel gathered in The Club, that the Arsenal was recently notified of its selection as "best garrison" within the U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) Sustainment Directorate for a second time in three years.

The Army's Best Garrison competition is one piece of the overall Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence, organized by the Secretary of Defense to recognize the outstanding and innovative efforts of the people who operate and maintain U.S. military installations.

Bonham's announcement helped to highlight the importance of the Arsenal, underscoring the need for support from surrounding communities.

One focus area for the Community Partners meeting was on intergovernmental support agreements (IGSA) and how partnerships between the Arsenal and neighboring municipalities could prove to be beneficial. Examples of services that IGSAs could provide are grounds and road maintenance, water treatment and testing, waste removal, and snow plowing.

"I am a product of what they do here on Picatinny Arsenal," said Fortunato Rubio, Picatinny Arsenal Deputy Garrison Commander, who is also a retired Marine Corps sergeant major.

"During my last deployment in 2008 to Afghanistan, we were one of the first units to fire the M777 (howitzer) in combat. Picatinny holds a special place for me, because it worked well. In combat operations, the system worked fantastic, and we were able to take the fight to the enemy. That is why I believe Picatinny Arsenal is so important to our warfighters, and it is why we have you here today.

"To have that partnership that will allow the installation to conduct the research and engineering of all these products that are going to eventually end up in the hands of the warfighters so that they can continue to take the fight to the enemy and keep our nation safe."

In 2013, Congress enacted legislation creating the IGSA allowing the military services to form partnerships with local and state governments for the provision, receipt, or sharing of installation and community support services, thus capitalizing on each party's capabilities and creating efficiency.

Military services are authorized by legislative statute to enter IGSAs on a sole source basis for installation services, if they best serve enhancing mission effectiveness by creating efficiencies or economies of scale, reducing cost.

"When you put these IGSAs together, both parties have economic benefits in cost-savings, strategic regional collaboration, improved community and government relations, and efficiency," Rubio said.

Since 2015, U.S. Army Installation Management Command has documented cost savings of $170 million through 172 public-public partnerships, enabling Army installations across the nation to sustain key services even during financial constraints.

Upon completion of briefings, visitors were able to break away into groups to include their government counterparts to continue discussions as to how both sides can work together.

Representatives from the Morris County Sherrif's Office, FBI, and local police and fire departments then toured the installation's Homeland Defense Homeland Technology Center, where a variety of classrooms, and tactical areas that include structures, vehicles, and containers can be used for simulation and training tailored to meet the customer's needs. The area allows for hands-on scenarios to be conducted in a realistic environment, serving as an exercise environment for agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.

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