Army depots are working beyond capacity and show no signs of slowing
down, says Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey. With these industrial
facilities operating 24/7 to keep up with equipment repair workloads,
the Army is not in a position to close any of them, even as a round
of base closures looms, he asserts. This year, the service’s
eight depots and arsenals will generate 19 million direct labor
hours. Next year, the number is going up to 25 million direct labor
hours. “We have surge capacity within that, and we pay very
close attention to having that capability,” says Harvey. The
Base Realignment and Closure Commission will have to take that into
account. “We are going to maintain the capability to be able
to surge—in the 25 million to 30 million range.”