Competitive Solutions, Inc. Works with Red River Army Depot to Get Bradley Tanks Back to Iraq

The Army will repair over 1,000 Bradley Tanks this year at a cost of $1.2 million each. An additional 400 will be upgraded with the latest electronics at an average cost of $3.5 million.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, who oversees the Army’s re-equipping effort, says the Bradley's protection and firepower make it ideal for soldiers in a tough fight. "The Bradley is a remarkable platform," he says. "It can hold a squad of infantrymen and provide direct-fire support. The 25mm gun is a wonderful cannon. It gives you enormous flexibility. It's amazingly agile, very reliable and responsive. This vehicle will flat kick a--."

Competitive Solutions, Inc. began working with the Red River Army Depot (RRAD) two years ago. The Army Depot is responsible for repairing the Bradley Tanks to get them back to the war fighters in Iraq. The last new Bradley rolled off the assembly line in 1995, and the Army plans to use the armored vehicles for decades. This makes the work done by the Depot all the more important.

RRAD realized that they needed to implement a process to get the tanks delivered in less time with more reliability. They turned to Competitive Solutions, Inc. CSI assisted RRAD in improving communications, developing meaningful business scorecards, creating accountability at all levels and setting behavioral expectations using a business alignment system called Process Based Leadership®. In addition to working with the Red River Army Depot; CSI works with Corpus Christi Army Depot, Rock Island Arsenal, Tobyhanna Army Depot, Sierra Army Depot, Blue Grass Army Depot and Letterkenny Army Depot. Regardless of the industry, organizations search for a competitive means to maximize workforce potential, reduce cost and overhead, and increase quality.

Because no new Bradleys are being built, the Pentagon must rely on an extensive network to keep the Army’s 4,700 Bradleys rolling. "There is no dealership to take these vehicles to,” states Col. Paul Lepine, Program Manager for the Army’s heavy brigade combat teams. "When we service them, we need to take them through this extensive process that costs a lot because of the extensive touch labor and cost of materials. It took a year or more to repair Bradleys at the start of the war. But most vehicles can now be returned to service in five months. The quicker we can get these Bradleys back to the war fighters in Iraq the better. They’re lifesavers!"

(Segments of this article were taken from USA Today, June 26, 2008)

Competitive Solutions, Inc.(CSI) is a leadership training and consulting company that specializes in helping organizations improve communication, develop meaningful business scorecards, create accountability at all levels and set behavioral expectations using a business alignment system called Process Based Leadership.®