The Scranton Times Tribune March 23, 2003
NEPA's Defense Contractors Play Critical Role in Supplying Military
By Christopher J. Kelly
A U.S. Army Abrams M1A1 battle tank bounds across Iraqi desert sands on a suspension built in Eynon.
A laser-guided bomb is piloted through the doorway of a suspected weapons storage site by U.S. Navy technicians using a kit made in Archbald.
A U.S. Air Force AC-130 Spectre gunship pounds the mouth of a cave in Afghanistan with shells made in Scranton.
A downed Air Force pilot is located using Global Positioning Satellite equipment maintained by workers at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. The pilot's helmet and chemical protective coverall were made in Carbondale.
As U.S. forces fight to topple Saddam Hussein and the war on terror continues in Afghanistan, products made in Northeastern Pennsylvania are having an international impact on the ways the United States and its allies wage war.
The region boasts facilities owned and operated by four major defense contractors and an army depot considered crucial to maintaining U.S. military supremacy at home and abroad. The Sunday Times asked officials of these facilities for a detailed look at the products they make and then consulted Patrick Garrett, a military analyst with the Alexandria, Va.-based think tank GlobalSecurity.org, for an analysis on how these products might be used in an invasion of Iraq.
Because their business is sensitive, particularly in the security-minded post-9/11 world, there were some operational details officials of these companies could not share. What they did divulge shows the region's vital role in a conflict raging 7,000 miles from here.
In alphabetical order, these are the Northeastern Pennsylvania companies equipping United States and allied armed forces at home and abroad:
CHAMBERLAIN
Chamberlain Manufacturing took over operations at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in 1963. Since then, the company has manufactured more than 21 million products at its 500,000-square-foot facility, primarily large-caliber shells for the U.S. Department of Defense.
During the Cold War and again after 9/11, many locals saw Chamberlain as a prime target and feared an attack could lead to a catastrophic explosion. There are no explosives at Chamberlain. The shells are shipped to facilities in other states for filling.
Capable of churning out at least 10 types of shells, Chamberlain is currently producing four kinds, including the 105 mm MI, a howitzer round used on AC-130 gunships. Chamberlain is the sole supplier of these shells to U.S. armed forces.
The C-130 gunship has been at the forefront of anti-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan, Mr. Garrett says.
"Without being too dramatic, it's like a weapon of mass destruction in and of itself," he says, explaining that the planes are used primarily to destroy enemy infantry positions.
"The howitzer is a particularly devastating weapon. I've seen gun footage from Afghanistan, and it's having a huge impact there. I think you also have to keep in mind that while they (Chamberlain) don't design or produce the gun, without ammunition, the howitzer is just a big, heavy club. It's useless without munitions."
GENERAL DYNAMICS LAND SYSTEMS
Based in Sterling Heights, Mich., GDLS is a division of defense giant General Dynamics Corp., which had $15 billion in sales last year. The company designs, engineers and manufactures main battle tanks and other armored combat vehicles and associated support equipment for the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps and other allied nations.
About 200 of the company's 3,500 employees work at the Eynon plant, which opened in 1957. In the mid-1970s, the plant began making suspensions and turret race rings (on which the 120 mm guns turn) for Abrams tanks, employing as many as 600 workers during the military buildup under the Reagan administration.
Production of Abrams tanks is slated to end next spring. Officials at GDLS Eynon are looking forward to production of the new AAAV -- Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle, which will travel 33 mph on water, 40 mph on land. Production of the AAAV is slated to begin in 2005 or 2006. GDLS Eynon was recently awarded part of a $156 million contract to produce suspensions for Abrams tanks being sold to Egypt.
Abrams tanks will have a "front and center" role in the invasion of Iraq, Mr. Garrett says, because they can fire and retarget while moving. U.S. military planners have geared up for "an extremely heavy war," he says, making the Eynon parts "crucial elements" of the Iraqi campaign.
GENTEX CORP.
Evolved from a silk weaving company that opened in Carbondale in 1894, General Textile Mills made parachutes and boxes for the U.S. military during World War II. The laminated parachute boxes led to new helmet technology, and Gentex (the name was shortened in 1958) is the world's largest supplier of air and tank crew helmets and oxygen masks.
The company, which also has facilities in Derry, N.H., and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., designs and produces a host of defense-related products, including military eyewear and chemical and biological defense clothing and equipment. Newer innovations include a fully enclosed casualty care system for use in case of chemical or biological attack, a chemical protective emergency kit for civilians and a lightweight, more protective helmet for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Gentex chemical and biological protective gear could be crucial, Mr. Garrett says, because Saddam Hussein may be desperate enough to use such weapons if he possesses them.
"Let's face it, the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division is coming for him," he says. "I don't see a reason he would hold back."
LOCKHEED MARTIN
Part of defense giant Lockheed Martin's Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems division, based in Syracuse, N.Y., the 350,000-square-foot Eynon plant produces laser-guided bomb kits for the U.S. and allied forces.
It is currently filling an $80 million contract to produce bomb kits for the U.S. Navy and an $18.6 million contract with the U.S. Air Force. The company recently landed a $2.9 million contract to make the kits for the Royal Australian Air Force.
Each kit consists of a computer control group, which is the front-end guidance system, and an "air foil group," which includes the fins on the back end of the bomb. By increasing the accuracy of gravity weapons, commonly called "dumb bombs," the kits reduce collateral damage and risk to U.S. and allied forces on the ground. The kits are used on 1,000-, 2,000- and 500-pound bombs.
While laser-guided bombs have been used extensively in the war on terrorism, Mr. Garrett says bombs guided by Global Satellite Positioning software have become the projectiles of choice for U.S. forces. GPS bombs may be sidelined, however, if rumors that Saddam possesses the technology to jam their guidance systems prove true.
"If it's true that Saddam has GPS-jamming technology," he says, "(laser-guided bombs) will be the backup."
TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT
Opened on Feb. 1, 1953, the depot was initially a U.S. Army field artillery camp for the training of West Point cadets and had also been used as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, a World War II prisoner-of-war camp and a storage point for gliders used in the D-Day landings at Normandy in 1944.
Part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, the depot is a full-service repair, overhaul and fabrication facility specializing in devices from hand-held radios to satellite communications. Northeastern Pennsylvania's largest employer, the depot employs 1,430 Lackawanna County residents. Depot officials say the facility pumps $495.4 million a year into the region's economy, including $164 million in employee salaries and $43.3 million in contracted services.
Tobyhanna personnel are currently installing kits that help soldiers in the field know exactly where they are, and what's coming their way.
Designed and manufactured at Tobyhanna, "Blue Force Tracking" also ensures that field commanders know the location of other "friendly" units, minimizing the risk of fratricide. The equipment consists of computers, video monitors, Position Location Ground Radios and satellite antennas. Soldiers can see where they are on the video monitors, and can communicate with each other and commanders through radio and e-mail sent by a satellite that also provides GPS tracking.
Blue Force Tracking might have significantly lowered the number of U.S. and allied "friendly fire" deaths in the first Persian Gulf War, Mr. Garrett says.
"In the first Gulf War, the largest number of fatalities, at least for ground forces, were caused by friendly fire," he says. "A critical aspect (of warfare) is knowing who you're firing at."
Defense spending rose from $274 billion in 1997 to $345 billion last year. Congress has budgeted $359 billion for defense for this year and the Pentagon projects it will need $408 billion a year by 2007.
How much of that money will find its way to Northeastern Pennsylvania remains to be seen, but Mr. Garrett expects the region to continue playing an important role in global security.
"It's amazing what's going on in those little buildings you drive by every day," he says.
"You'd never know the important things going on inside."
Copyright © 2003, Scranton Times Tribune
