Chief Of Ordnance
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The Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army is a general officer who is responsible for the Army Ordnance Corps and serves as the Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance School at
Fort Gregg-Adams Fort Lee (formerly Fort Gregg-Adams), in Prince George County, Virginia is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the United States Ar ...
. The Chief of Ordnance is primarily focused on the doctrine, training, and professional development of Ordnance officers and soldiers. The position was created simultaneously with the establishment of the
United States Army Ordnance Department The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. The broad mission of the Ordnance Corps is to supply A ...
on May 14, 1812.


History


18th century

The American Revolution established the general outlines of the future Ordnance Department. The Continental Congress' Board for War and Ordnance created the Commissary General for Military Stores to establish and operate ordnance facilities in an effort to alleviate the dependence on foreign arms and munitions. Colonel Benjamin Flower led the Commissary from his appointment in January 1775 until his death in May 1781. Ordnance facilities were established at
Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until ...
, Massachusetts and
Carlisle Barracks Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle post office address and with a portion in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The site of the U.S. Army War College, it is the nation's second-oldest active military ...
, Pennsylvania for the production of arms, powder, and shot. After the war, the logistic elements were disbanded and the authority for procurement and provision of all things military was transferred to the Office of the Purveyor of Public Supplies located within the Treasury Department.


19th century

By the dawn of the War of 1812, the Secretary of War recognized the need for a distinct branch to manage the procurement, research, and maintenance of Ordnance materiel. Decius Wadsworth, previously superintendent of West Point, was appointed a Colonel and given the title Commissary General of Ordnance, later changed to Chief of Ordnance. His ambition, during the war years and afterward, was to simplify and streamline Ordnance materiel management. His staff worked to reduce the variety of small arms and artillery pieces to a few efficient models. In addition, he aimed to develop a cadre of highly trained Ordnance officers who could dedicate their inventive ingenuity to their profession.


20th century

Between 1906 and 1915 Chief of Ordnance Brig. Gen. William Crozier attempted to introduce scientific management systems into his department. With industrial productivity receiving national attention through the efforts of
Frederick Winslow Taylor Frederick Winslow Taylor (March 20, 1856 – March 21, 1915) was an American mechanical engineer. He was widely known for his methods to improve industrial efficiency. He was one of the first management consulting, management consultants. In 190 ...
and others, Crozier sought favorable comparisons with private industry in his Congressional relations. Strikes at the
Watertown Arsenal The Watertown Arsenal was a major American arsenal located on the northern shore of the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts. The site is now registered on the American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE's List of Historic Civil Engineeri ...
and
Rock Island Arsenal The Rock Island Arsenal comprises 946 acres (383 ha) and is located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It is home to the United Stat ...
limited the use of time studies and piece rates in the department, but at Springfield Arsenal a century's development of piece rates precluded the need for such studies or conflict. New Armory practices borrowed or influenced by Taylorism included centralized planning for better routing of tasks and components, improved accounting systems for tools and raw materials, introduction of high-speed tool steels, and reorganization of shop floors. By 1915, Armory managers also obtained substantial amounts of new equipment and completed direct rail links from the Armories to trunk lines. Better on-site transportation, along with increased use of electrical power and rebuilt power transmission systems, removed most of the Armory's long-standing geographic and power supply limitations. Capital improvements, and new accounting practices to control manufacturing materials purchases, had significant effects in reducing production costs, but still left the Army with a limited capacity to respond to a major conflict. But Crozier had problems obtaining budget too. Ordnance Department supply failures during the first months of formal American involvement in the First World War cost Crozier his job, despite several attempts at wholesale departmental reorganization along functional lines with decentralized districts. In part by delegating more authority to district civilian managers, Crozier's successor, Maj. Gen. Clarence C. Williams (Chief of Ordnance, 1918-30), succeeded in gaining on ordnance supply problems as the war ended, by which time the department's reputation remained clouded. Following the massive reorganization of the Army in 1962 based on the Hoelscher Committee Report, the Ordnance Corps and the office of the Chief of Ordnance was disestablished. The Ordnance branch continued under the direction of the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics. Army Materiel Command assumed responsibility for many of the Ordnance Corps historical functions; research, development, procurement, production, storage and technical intelligence. In 1985, the Ordnance Corps became the first of the Army's support elements to re-establish itself under the branch regimental concept. The Office of the Chief of Ordnance was reestablished and regained responsibility for decisions concerning personnel, force structure, doctrine, and training. This change gave the opportunity for Ordnance officers, soldiers, and civilians to identify with their historical predecessors in their mission of Ordnance support to the U.S. Army.


21st century

In accordance with the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission, the U.S. Army Ordnance School and the Chief of Ordnance moved from
Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, ...
, Maryland to Fort Lee, Virginia. In Fiscal Year 2024, all sustainment commandants were reduced on the Tables of Distributions and Allowances (TDA). The Chief of Ordnance was reduced from brigadier general to colonel. The current Chief of Ordnance is Colonel Robin (Rob) Montgomery.


List of Army Chiefs of Ordnance


Acting Chiefs

The following individuals have served as acting Chief of Ordnance: *Major Charles Shaler. Shaler served from 29 March to 5 April 1899, after the death of Daniel Flagler and before Adelbert Buffington. *Colonel Rogers Birnie. Birnie served while William Crozier served as President of the Army War College during the 1912–1913 academic year. *Brigadier General Charles B. Wheeler. Wheeler served from 20 December 1917 to 19 April 1918. *Brigadier General William S. Peirce. Peirce served from 19 April until 2 May 1918. *Brigadier General Colden L'Hommedieu Ruggles. Ruggles served from 1 April to 3 June 1930.


References


Bibliography

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External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army
U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Official Website
United States Army