2000's Depot History
On August 21, 2001 the Secretary of the Army recognized Letterkenny as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence (CITE) for Air Defense and Tactical Missile Ground Support Equipment and in 2005 for the Mobile Electric Power Generation Equipment.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, LEAD responded to the Global War on Terror by retrofitting Ground Mobility Vehicles (GMVs), resetting Avengers and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) and recapping PATRIOT Missiles.
With the Department of Defense’s reorganization, Letterkenny’s supply mission moved to New Cumberland, Pa. under Defense Logistics Agency in 1992, but by 2001 a smaller Directorate of Supply and Transportation was reestablished at Letterkenny.
In 2002, Letterkenny celebrated 60 years of supporting Soldiers and the Army.
To stay flexible, ready and relevant: Letterkenny transformed its 318,000 square foot vehicle building into a flexible manufacturing floor by using Lean Manufacturing concepts. The Depot facilitated each work bay/cell with identical capabilities. Lean Manufacturing techniques were implemented to achieve success in meeting new workload challenges in an era of chemical and biological threats.
Letterkenny entered into partnership with private industry in order to collaboratively share advantageous skill sets and unique capabilities. Partnerships proved to be a successful avenue to produce a greater quality product, in the most efficient manner and best cost possible to the Warfighter.
In 2005 LEAD was recognized with the silver Shingo Prize for the PATRIOT Missile Launcher, becoming the first Army depot to ever receive a Shingo Prize. This prize initiated the first of eight Shingo awards the Depot would receive for excellent work in areas such as HMMWVs, Generators, Biological Integrated Detection Systems (BIDS), PATRIOT Systems and Aviation Ground Power Units (AGPU).
BRAC 2005 named LEAD as number one in Military Value for Tactical Wheeled Vehicles. The innovative engineering of the GMV program proved successful as it distinguished itself in battle; it’s tough, lethal and maintainable.
Work during this decade centered on Cranes, Generators, HMMWVs, the PATRIOT Recapitalization program as well as Medium Mine Protected Vehicles (MMPV) and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) systems.
Environmentally, LEAD was recognized by the Secretary of the Army for Environmental Restoration (FY02), Environmental Quality (FY06), and Environmental Sustainability (FY09)--Industrial Installation.