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27-399: On June 1, 1965, the U.S. Army Electronics Command (ECOM), a subordinate element of the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC), made the decision to discontinue the operations of the U.S. Army Electronics Laboratories, which had adopted the duties of the recently disestablished Signal Corps Laboratories . The U.S. Army Electronics Laboratories was subsequently divided into six separate laboratories:

54-620: A "materiel development and logistics command", served as its first commander. AMC operates depots; arsenals; ammunition plants; and other facilities, and maintains the Army's prepositioned stocks, both on land and afloat. The command is also the Department of Defense Executive Agent for the chemical weapons stockpile and for conventional ammunition. AMC is responsible within the United States Department of Defense for

81-522: A cerebral hemorrhage in 1978. In 1980, Besson married Frances Rogers "Betty" (Howell) Wheeler, the widow of General Earle G. Wheeler . On July 15, 1985, Besson died of cancer at Walter Reed Army Medical Center . He was buried beside his parents and his first two wives at the West Point Cemetery on July 19, 1985. Betty Wheeler resumed using her first husband's name and was buried with him at Arlington National Cemetery in 2004. In 1985

108-550: A program that involved conversion of a former seaplane tender, the USS Albemarle (AV 5), into a floating helicopter repair shop for use off the coast of Vietnam. In 1965, Besson permitted Malcom McLean of SeaLand to develop a plan to improve U.S. military logistics in Vietnam . McLean would go on to recommend containerization as a solution to logistical problems faced by the U.S. military. In 1966, Besson asked

135-559: Is the primary provider of materiel to the United States Army . The Command's mission includes the management of installations, as well as maintenance and parts distribution. It was established on 8 May 1962 and was activated on 1 August of that year as a major field command of the U.S. Army. Lieutenant General Frank S. Besson, Jr. , who directed the implementation of the Department of Army study that recommended creation of

162-557: The Military Sea Transportation Service to contract SeaLand to operate regular container ship routes between Oakland, California , and Okinawa, Japan . As the first AMC Commander, Besson was charged with consolidating six army technical service organizations into a single command without disrupting effective materiel support for the army. His success resulted in his receiving the Merit Award of

189-707: The United States Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command (commonly referred to as DARCOM). Comparable organizations U.S. Armed Forces systems commands Frank S. Besson, Jr. Frank Schaffer Besson Jr. , CBE (May 30, 1910 – July 15, 1985) was a United States Army general who most notably served as the first commander of the US Army Materiel Command . Besson born on May 30, 1910, in Detroit , Michigan . His father Frank Schaffer Besson Sr.

216-741: The Armed Forces Management Association in 1963. On May 27, 1964, Besson became a full general. He was the first army officer to achieve that rank as head of a logistical organization in peacetime. In 1969, Besson was appointed by United States Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard to be chairman of the Joint Logistics Review Board, formed to review logistic activities in support of the Vietnam War. Besson retired in September 1969 and

243-793: The Army Ground Forces and Chief of the Railway Division. Toward the end of World War II, he was Deputy Chief Transportation Officer of the Army Forces in the Western Pacific and, when Japan's collapse was imminent, assumed full control of railroads in Japan. During the first year of occupation, Besson directed the rehabilitation of the Japanese rail system, moving more than 200,000 troops and 150,000 tons of supplies in

270-1074: The Electronic Components Laboratory (which later became the Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory ), the Communications/ADP Laboratory, the Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory , the Electronic Warfare Laboratory, the Avionics Laboratory, and the Combat Surveillance and Target Acquisition Laboratory. Within the newly organized Electronic Warfare Laboratory (EWL), the Missile Electronic Warfare Division represents

297-670: The Third Military Railway Service (with rank of lieutenant colonel) in 1943, and was promoted to Director (with rank of colonel) the following year. As Director of the Third Military Railway Service in Iran from 1944 to 1945, Besson ensured the flow of war materials to the Russian forces through the Persian Corridor . He was promoted to brigadier general, becoming, at just 34, the youngest general officer in

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324-728: The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) following the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in 1988. Under ARL, the Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory transitioned into the Survivability/Lethality Analysis Directorate. The Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory was primarily responsible for conducting vulnerability and susceptibility assessments of all U.S. Army weapons, communications, and electromagnetic systems to protect against electronic warfare threats. At

351-572: The business of selling Army equipment and services to allies of the United States and negotiates and implements agreements for co-production of U.S. weapons systems by foreign nations. AMC is currently headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama , and has operations in approximately 149 locations worldwide including more than 49 American States and 50 countries. AMC employs upwards of 70,000 military and civilian employees. AMC

378-577: The first Army Distinguished Service Medal to be awarded at SHAPE headquarters. He was formally transferred to the Army Transportation Corps on July 28, 1950. Besson introduced the roll-on/roll-off technique for the rapid loading and discharge of wheeled and tracked vehicles. He further refined these concepts upon assuming command of the Transportation Center and School at Fort Eustis , Virginia, in 1953. Besson

405-490: The first two months. Subsequent assignments included a tour as Assistant Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), where Besson formulated logistics plans and overall programs to meet the complex requirements of the fifteen nations of the NATO alliance. His efforts in instituting a system for "costing out" five-year programs, thereby bringing force goals into consonance with available resources, earned him

432-752: The origin of the Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory. The division’s name was later changed to the Missile Electronic Warfare Technical Area (MEWTA). In the early 1970s, MEWTA became a standalone Army organization known as the Office of Missile Electronic Warfare (OMEW). Based in White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico , OMEW was responsible for conducting research on missile electronic warfare and ascertain missile system vulnerabilities while developing appropriate electronic counter-countermeasures. In 1985, OMEW

459-532: The review board's report was released to the public on November 6, 1970. The report was highly critical of the Johnson administration for not calling up reserve forces until 1968, which created "personnel shortages, especially in logistic skills". It was believed to be the first time the military publicly criticized the Johnson administration. The report also pushed for the centralization of logistical operations,

486-522: The supervision of Glennon Gilboy. His early career was noted for the role he played in the development of portable military pipelines, Perforated Steel Planking (PSP) (steel landing mats) for airplanes, and steel treadway bridges. He is credited with the studies leading to the army's adoption of the Bailey bridge , used extensively in all theaters in World War II. Besson became assistant director of

513-416: The targets, and decoy flares . In general, electronic countermeasure assessments consisted of engineering evaluations, laboratory investigations, computer simulations, and field experiments. VAL also maintained an extensive inventory of technologies that simulated electronic countermeasure environments and developed “ hardening ” techniques in response to these threats. The Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory

540-716: The time, the consolidation of all vulnerability assessment functions into a single element made the U.S. Army unique in this regard compared to the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force . VAL also coordinated research on electronic counter-countermeasures and performed electronic warfare vulnerability assessments on foreign missile systems. The Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory was made up of five divisions designed to cover each of its mission areas: Air Defense, Communications-Electronics, Close Combat and Fire Support, Foreign Missiles, and Technology and Advanced Concepts. Common electronic warfare threats that were taken into consideration by VAL included jamming , radar-reflecting chaff that hid

567-910: The widespread use of intermodal containers , and the phasing out of Conex boxes . Besson's awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Iranian Order of Homayoun , Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire , and the Republic of Korea's Order of Military Merit , Second Class (Ulchi). While in retirement, Besson wrote about transportation and related problems in numerous professional journals. In 1971, he

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594-685: Was a West Point graduate and a colonel in the Corps of Engineers . Besson graduated seventh in his class from the United States Military Academy in 1932 and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers. In 1935, he received an M.S. degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . His research project was a collaboration with Rush B. Lincoln Jr. and two other West Point classmates under

621-579: Was involved in the development of several technologies, including steerable null antenna processor (SNAP) systems used against enemy jammer threats and various high-power microwaves. In 1985, VAL conducted a major field experiment testing the feasibility of the Stinger-RMP missile system, which significantly influenced its production. VAL has also participated in the improvement of the following technologies and systems: United States Army Materiel Command The U.S. Army Materiel Command ( AMC )

648-467: Was located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia between 2003 and 2005 before being relocated to Alabama by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission . From 1973 to 2003, AMC was headquartered in a building at 5001 Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia , and prior to 1973, it was headquartered at what is now Reagan National Airport . Between January 1976 and August 1984, AMC was officially designated

675-669: Was nominated by Richard Nixon as one of the founding directors of the National Rail Passenger Corporation , which ran Amtrak . He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 3, 1971, and remained on the board until 1977, when Jimmy Carter chose not to reappoint him. Besson married Nancy Sessions Morris in 1935. They had three sons. After his wife's death in 1974, Besson married Beatrice Veronica (O'Boyle) George, who had four children from her first marriage. His second wife died of

702-438: Was renamed the Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory (VAL). While VAL’s headquarters were located at White Sands Missile Range, major elements of the laboratory were also stationed at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey , and Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico . By 1988, VAL consisted of more than 250 personnel, of which 60 were military and 196 were civilian. In 1992, VAL was among the seven Army laboratories that were consolidated to form

729-814: Was the Chief of Transportation, United States Army from March 1958 until April 2, 1962, when he took charge of the United States Army Materiel Command . Besson was the first Commander of the Army Materiel Command, formed in 1962 during a major army reorganization. During his command, the mammoth logistical organization, with an annual budget exceeding $ 14 billion and an inventory of $ 21 billion, employed more than 160,000 civilian personnel, in addition to its military complement of 14,000. In November 1962, Besson assigned Col. John F. Sullivan as project officer for Project Flat Top ,

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