The U.S. Army’s efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are dependent on small-town America operations like Eastern Jackson County’s Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, the U.S. Army chief of staff said Wednesday.
Gen. George W. Casey Jr. toured the ammunition plant – Eastern Jackson County’s largest manufacturing employer – as the senior leader of the U.S. Army. The tour, Casey’s first at Lake City, aimed to educate him on the production of small-caliber ammunition and the plant’s modernization efforts.
“I must say, I am hugely impressed with what I’ve seen here and with the spirit and dedication of the men and women that work here,” Casey said after his tour of the plant in eastern Independence. “It’s not unlike the other depots that I go to around the country where I see dedicated Americans feeling very proud that they’re actually contributing to our success in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, which employs 2,600 people and boasts an annual payroll of $110 million, is the largest small-arms manufacturing plant in the United States. In April, the U.S. Army awarded the plant a four-year contract to ensure an uninterrupted supply of ammunition to the U.S. military beyond an existing 10-year contract.
ATK operates the Army-owned Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, which produces 5.56mm, 7.62mm and .50-caliber rounds for the U.S. armed forces. The plant produces more than 1.4 billion rounds annually, and more than 20 million of those small rounds are utilized in Afghanistan each year, according to plant officials.
“This is obviously going to be an important part of our effort,” Casey said. “Our effort is going to be going on for awhile.”
This week marks the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s election as the United States commander in chief. Casey said he has hardly noticed a significant change under Obama’s leadership, despite the political shift from former Republican President George W. Bush.
“There’s a been a good, thorough discussion going on about the future of Afghanistan, and I don’t think people want to see anything less,” Casey said of the war in Afghanistan, which began in October 2001. “There’s been a good discussion, and I think the country is going to see a decision shortly.”
Casey also plans to visit Fort Riley, Kan., where he will participate in an after-action review on a mission rehearsal exercise with the 1st Infantry Division.
