Red River Army Depot welcomed a four-star visitor Tuesday.
Gen. Gus Perna, head of the Army's Materiel Command, toured the depot's Maneuver Systems Sustainment Center and other facilities to speak with employees and see their work for himself.
Perna oversees the Army's logistics and materiel provision, ensuring that soldiers have the gear, goods and services they need when they need them. He is one of the Army's 11 active-duty four-star generals.
Red River Army Depot is one of 23 depots, arsenals and plants Perna commands, he said. On Tuesday, he expressed confidence in RRAD personnel and praised their efforts.
"My visit today is about thanking them, about seeing the great work that they're doing, about how their work is directly impacting Army readiness and the future readiness of our Army, today and tomorrow. They do work for the current fight, and they do work for potential future other things that could happen. They ensure our equipment is ready to go so that our soldiers, our most important asset, our soldiers have confidence in the equipment they have," he said.
Perna said he learned some new things from the tour, even after 34 years in the Army.
"I was able to go through where they do track, the refurbish track and reset it so it can go back out to the Army, saving us millions of dollars. I also just walked through the work they're doing on RTCHs (Rough Terrain Cargo Handlers), which is a mainstay piece of equipment for a logistician. We can't do our job without it, and the work that they're doing to bring it back up to 10-20 and reset it cannot be compared to anybody else," he said.
Perna had a message and some advice for those depot employees affected by layoffs announced to take place in May.
"First I would tell the total workforce thank you for all that they do every day, and then for those that are impacted by the layoff, thank you for what they do. What I would recommend to them is to use the transition facilities that we have established here to help them learn what is available in other places, and maybe, potentially, keep their eye on work back here, because I'd like to see them come back here to work.
"Stay positive. I know it's hard. I know it's about taking care of their families, and I know it's a difficult time," he said.
As for the RRAD's prospects, Perna is optimistic.
"What I want to do is maintain that core workload here, develop the workforce to do this work so that we're assured all the time that the product coming out the end is always the best, because at the end of the day, the product is for our soldier on the battlefield and we don't want anything less than the best.
"That's what this workforce does. I am 100 percent confident in them and what they do every day, and what I want to do is maintain that capability so it lasts well into the future.
"I see a good, long life for Red River," he said.