Letterkenny Army Depot

Letterkenny Army Depot this week is completing layoffs of 244 contracted employees as announced in January, a depot spokeswoman said. The layoffs occurring this week are not associated with the federal budget cuts known as the sequester, according to depot spokeswoman Lindsay Bryant. Instead, demand decreased for an Army Humvee program, Bryant said. “The workforce was resized to meet the workload,” she said. The depot, which employs up to 4,000 people, is anticipating additional layoffs and furloughs related to the sequester.

Two new government contracts won by AECOM Technology Corp. will preserve 420 jobs at Letterkenny Army Depot as the company begins to handle technical support services at the depot. The affected employees, who were working under an existing contract, will move to the contracts awarded by the U.S. General Services Administration to AECOM, a Letterkenny spokeswoman said. The two concurrent contracts total $72 million over three years, an AECOM news release stated. AECOM will work with production engineering, electronic support, manufacturing and fabrication, mechanical equipment, and paint.

Letterkenny Army Depot and Franklin County officials celebrated a milestone Thursday that they say will ensure that between 300 and 400 jobs stay in Chambersburg through 2013. Depot commander Col. Cheri A. Provancha recognized the men and women at Letterkenny for completing two separate systems - a Patriot Launcher and a Patriot Guidance Enhancement Missile, or GEM-T, during two ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the depot. Provancha said the two programs are not creating new jobs, but will maintain job security.

When an armored vehicle escorting a military convoy clears out a roadside bomb or a soldier wipes his feet as he enters a tent to eat, sleep or relax, there's a good chance that the equipment came from Letterkenny Army Depot north of Chambersburg. A sprawling campus of more than 18,000 acres, the depot is the equivalent of a $1.4 billion business, said Mark Sheffield, deputy to the commander. That's almost five times the value - $298 million - of its programs in fiscal 2004. Much of the growth is due to Letterkenny's missions, which changed dramatically following  the Sept.

Franklin County's largest employer braced itself for the fallout from the federal budget cuts set to go into effect Friday. Letterkenny Army Depot Commander Col. Victor S. Hagan Sr. made a statement to the depot work force that a work furlough of up to 22 nonconsecutive days would begin the week of April 22 and could continue through September if an agreement is not reached. Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Congress on Feb. 20 that if automatic government spending cuts - called a “sequester” - kick in on March 1, he might have to shorten the workweek for the “vast majority” of the Defense Department's 800,000 civilian workers.

Leadership of Letterkenny Army Depot transferred during a change-of-command ceremony Friday at the Chambersburg depot. Col. Cheri A. Provancha relinquished the title of commander to Col. Victor S. Hagan, who becomes the depot's 47th commanding officer. Nearly 300 elected officials, business leaders, soldiers, depot employees, and family and friends of honorees attended the ceremony. “This marks a new era of leadership for Letterkenny,” said Major General Lynn A. Collyar, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. - Col. Robert A. Swenson ended his two-year command of Letterkenny Army Depot and his 27 years of military service with high praise Friday as the command was handed over to Col. Steven A. Shapiro. "I think Letterkenny is the best job a colonel can have," said Swenson, 48. "Although I'm no longer a part of Letterkenny, it will always be a part of me. " "Under Swenson, the depot has turned into a world-class facility," said Maj. Gen. James R. Myles of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.

Letterkenny Army Depot on Thursday celebrated receiving its ninth Shingo medallion for excellence in manufacturing at a time when federal budget cuts are forcing operational changes. “Letterkenny will continue to raise the bar for itself, proving that no matter what obstacles we face, there will be absolutely no depreciation to the value of Letterkenny,” said Col. Victor S. Hagan, the depot's commander. As military spending continues to be reduced, the work at Letterkenny Army Depot will remain exceptional, Hagan said at a ceremony for the prize.

The rusting hulk of the Chevrolet Army truck sat near the machine shop off Virginia Avenue in Hagerstown for more than three decades. When its owner, William Kaplan, died in 2004 at the age of 93, his son inherited the truck. William Glenn Kaplan had his heart set on restoring the truck, something he would do to honor his father. “When I see this truck, I see my dad, and I restored it in his memory,” said William Glenn Kaplan, 63, of Maugansville. It last was used around 1973, and was idle for so long that its engine locked up. In 2006, the truck was put on a tractor-trailer and taken to his son's property in Hedgesville, W.Va.

Lt. Col. Bryan Fowler will assume command of Letterkenny Munitions Center at 10 a.m. June 6 in a ceremony at Letterkenny Army Depot, making him the first military commander of the Munitions Center. Fowler will replace Ed Averill, who served as the director and will continue working for the Munitions Center as the civilian executive assistant to the commander. Fowler, originally from Atlanta, most recently served as chief of plans and integration in XVIII Airborne Corps' G-4 office at Fort Bragg, N.C. The ceremony will be hosted by Col. Linwood Clark, commander of the Crane (Ind.)

The rusting hulk of the Chevrolet Army truck sat near the machine shop off Virginia Avenue in Hagerstown for more than three decades. When its owner, William Kaplan, died in 2004 at the age of 93, his son inherited the truck. William Glenn Kaplan had his heart set on restoring the truck, something he would do to honor his father. “When I see this truck, I see my dad, and I restored it in his memory,” said William Glenn Kaplan, 63, of Maugansville. It last was used around 1973, and was idle for so long that its engine locked up. In 2006, the truck was put on a tractor-trailer and taken to his son's property in Hedgesville, W.Va.

Lt. Col. Bryan Fowler will assume command of Letterkenny Munitions Center at 10 a.m. June 6 in a ceremony at Letterkenny Army Depot, making him the first military commander of the Munitions Center. Fowler will replace Ed Averill, who served as the director and will continue working for the Munitions Center as the civilian executive assistant to the commander. Fowler, originally from Atlanta, most recently served as chief of plans and integration in XVIII Airborne Corps' G-4 office at Fort Bragg, N.C. The ceremony will be hosted by Col. Linwood Clark, commander of the Crane (Ind.)

Employees at Letterkenny Army Depot are facing fewer furlough days than originally expected - workers are looking at 11 days without pay rather than 14. The 11 days are down from the 14 that the Pentagon advised would be needed, and only half of the 22 days originally anticipated, according to a statement released by the depot. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced in a town hall Tuesday that Department of the Army civilians will be furloughed up to 11 days, beginning no earlier than July 8. The furlough is scheduled to begin July 8 at the rate of one furlough day per week through the end of the current fiscal year, Sept.

Workers at Letterkenny Army Depot will see a 22-day work furlough that was expected to begin this week as part of the federal budget sequester reduced by eight days, according to a depot spokeswoman. The United States Department of Defense has reduced the number of furlough days to 14, Letterkenny spokeswoman Lindsay Bryant said. The furlough was expected to begin in April and continue through September, Bryant said. Now, the furlough is slated to begin in mid- to late June, she said.

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster has introduced legislation he said would stop the wasteful mismanagement of funds while securing work for Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg. Shuster, R-Pa., opposes continued development funding of the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program. “MEADS is a failure, and we can no longer afford to continue spending millions of dollars on a program that DoD has stated they have no intention of completing,” Shuster said in a news release. While visiting the Chambersburg depot last week, Shuster said he would prefer funding designated for MEADS instead be invested in the Patriot missiles systems developed at Letterkenny.

Letterkenny Army Depot on Thursday celebrated receiving its ninth Shingo medallion for excellence in manufacturing at a time when federal budget cuts are forcing operational changes. “Letterkenny will continue to raise the bar for itself, proving that no matter what obstacles we face, there will be absolutely no depreciation to the value of Letterkenny,” said Col. Victor S. Hagan, the depot's commander. As military spending continues to be reduced, the work at Letterkenny Army Depot will remain exceptional, Hagan said at a ceremony for the prize.

Letterkenny Army Depot this week is completing layoffs of 244 contracted employees as announced in January, a depot spokeswoman said. The layoffs occurring this week are not associated with the federal budget cuts known as the sequester, according to depot spokeswoman Lindsay Bryant. Instead, demand decreased for an Army Humvee program, Bryant said. “The workforce was resized to meet the workload,” she said. The depot, which employs up to 4,000 people, is anticipating additional layoffs and furloughs related to the sequester.

Franklin County's largest employer braced itself for the fallout from the federal budget cuts set to go into effect Friday. Letterkenny Army Depot Commander Col. Victor S. Hagan Sr. made a statement to the depot work force that a work furlough of up to 22 nonconsecutive days would begin the week of April 22 and could continue through September if an agreement is not reached. Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Congress on Feb. 20 that if automatic government spending cuts - called a “sequester” - kick in on March 1, he might have to shorten the workweek for the “vast majority” of the Defense Department's 800,000 civilian workers.

Letterkenny Army Depot stands to be one of the biggest losers if the federal sequestration cuts take place as scheduled in one week. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the depot would absorb spending reductions of more than $449 million. This would mean a massive loss of jobs and a ripple effect on the economy. “We've got real families here that are very nervous and anxious about what's going to happen,” said L. Michael Ross, president of the Franklin County (Pa.)

Letterkenny Army Depot's first African-American commander spoke during the Chambersburg base's annual Black History Month observance. Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert C. Gaskill Sr. was the guest speaker at Wednesday's event held in the great room at depot headquarters. Gaskill served as depot commander from 1974 to 1975 and was the first African-American to assume command of the base. Current commander Col. Victor S. Hagan is the second African-American to hold the position.