Armaments Center hosts first industry fuzing course to preserve critical expertise

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. – With decades of fuze experience and knowhow at risk of disappearing as engineers begin to transition out, the U.S. Army Combat… PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. – With decades of fuze experience and knowhow at risk of disappearing as engineers begin to transition out, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center has stepped up to the task of readying the workforce. Between Monday, Oct. 19 and Friday, Oct. 23, the Armaments Center hosted a course related to munition fuzes for 30 business professionals from small and big business alike. Taught by Senior Fuze Subject Matter Expert Tom Emanski, Acting Army Fuze Management Office Chief Sandy Picinic, Army Fuze Safety Review Board Executive Secretary Briar Ostar-Exel and Armaments Center Fuze Division Engineer Lam Vo, the course provided an open forum for engineers to examine the fundamentals of fuze design, safety philosophies, operational environments and emerging threats, while engaging directly with the experts who help shape military safety standards and evaluations.

Fuzes, being the component in a munition that decides when and under what conditions the warhead should function, are a critical component in munitions directly responsible for providing both safety to the warfighter and down range lethality. According to Emanski, the course was conceived after industrial partners repeatedly signaled how few options there were to learn