Mr. Vincent P. Huggard

Mr. Vincent P. Huggard was born on August 10, 1917. His contributions to Ordnance were many.

Early in the Vietnam conflict, he was requested by the Secretary of Defense to manage the production, supply, and distribution of ground munitions in support of the conflict. Realizing that our ammunition production base was developed using pre-World War II technology, he became a driving force in obtaining congressional funding support for a comprehensive $7.5 billion modernization program.

In 1972, he chaired a study group to determine the future direction the Army should take concerning tactical vehicles. Under his guidance, many procedural and policy changes were made which resulted in significant savings through a reduction in needed resources. He was the Army's foremost proponent in developing the need, the required command emphasis, and the funding support for a viable Army production base and industrial preparedness posture. The policies he instituted and the techniques he devised in the interest of this vital program are still in use today.

He headed “Project Expedite,” where time-consuming delays in executing procurement programs were isolated and appropriate corrective actions taken. The result was a more efficient utilization of limited procurement funding resources and substantial savings to the taxpayer. Serving the Department of the Army for more than 33 years, Mr. Huggard's managerial skills and logistics expertise are highly respected at all levels of the Federal Government. Mr. Huggard died on January 25, 1974.