HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville hosted members of the Recovered Chemical Warfare Materiel Program (RCWM) for their quarterly meeting November 2.
The meeting, led by Bryan M. Frey, P.E., Director for Munitions and Chemical Matters at the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health and Kelso Horne, Director of the Chemical Materials Directorate, brought together U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) employees and contractors from districts across the country.
The RCWM comprises various organizations who are tasked with supporting the location, removal, and disposal of munitions on past and current military installations and the emergency responses to suspected chemical warfare materiel.
Attendees shared their progress on cleanup operations across their various sites, product improvement projects, funding challenges, and assessment and destruction updates.
The meeting was the first hybrid meeting to happen since the pandemic and the benefits of returning to the in-person model were clear, said Rob Snyder, CMD Integration officer at the U.S. Army Evaluation Center.
“Having (participants) in the room has led to great conversations that otherwise may not have happened over virtual platforms,” Snyder said.
Horne commended the impressive accomplishments of the RCWM team and noted the importance of presenting collected data in a cohesive way both internally and externally to illustrate the teams’ many accomplishments.
Frey discussed the benefits of additional technology that will enhance the RCWM program and noted that the “continued research in the field will open the door to additional improvements.”
Allyn Allison, Huntsville Center program manager, was presented with a 3-star note and a Commander’s coin and was recognized for his contribution to the RCWM Program. Allison has been an employee of Huntsville Center for 21 years.
“The Center has provided me a lot of opportunities to grow in my professional life. I have had a chance to work with many talented people and be involved in very interesting work that has resulted in a safer and cleaner environment for the public,” Allison said.
After the conclusion of the quarterly meeting, attendees participated in a site visit to MSFC-003-R-00, one of the largest cleanup sites on Redstone Arsenal. Project managers for the site shared their expertise of their cleanup process that has contributed to their progress.