STAR4Defense

STAR4Defense Expanding Training Reach

Since 2003, STAR4Defense has been training painters to improve their techniques, reduce hazardous emissions and improve corrosion protection. STAR4Defense, a program of UNI’s Iowa Waste Reduction Center, provides customized training courses for Department of Defense military painters from all branches of service. The training programs have brought hundreds of painters from bases all over the country—as well as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and even Japan—to Cedar Falls, Iowa for training.

While the focus has always been on-site training, recent efforts have extended by developing partnerships with bases across the country and taking the training to other locations via satellite sites. These satellite sites are on military bases that have been hand picked to provide the STAR4Defense training. Currently, there are nine satellite sites in six states (see the map to the right) providing STAR4Defense-certified training to military painters.  

Working with satellite sites allows the STAR4Defense program to expand its reach beyond the traditional training that takes place in Cedar Falls. “With training only in Cedar Falls, the program was limited on the number of painters that could be trained in any given month,” said Rick Klein, who manages the program at the Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC). “But with our satellite sites providing training, many more painters can become STAR4Defense certified to improve the finished product for the military.”

Certification Training
A lot of time and effort goes into preparing a facility for STAR4Defense training.  It takes a strong collaborative effort between STAR4Defense staff and staff at the base to get the program up and running. Once training is established, the bases provide the same structure of training as STAR4Defense—training that focuses on classroom, hands-on and virtual training.

Painters get most excited about the virtual portion of the STAR4Defense training. VirtualPaint, a virtual reality training system developed by the IWRC, allows painters to practice painting techniques and skills without using any materials or coatings. VirtualPaint can be used at any time without having to use the spray booth or production line, and no time for preparation and clean up is needed.

Benefits On-Site
Becoming a satellite site has many benefits for bases—first and foremost, a trained workforce. With the proper training, painters can improve output and safety, which is important when coating factors like corrosion prevention and camouflage are vital for the safety of our Armed Forces.

Another benefit is the environmental savings. By adding the VirtualPaint to their training, the Inter-American Air Forces Academy (IAAFA) was able to reduce paint consumption during training by 50 percent while cutting hazardous waste by 75 percent and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions by 80 percent.

STAR4Defense will continue to provide support to its satellite sites and establish more sites across the country to develop a skilled workforce focused on the safety of the Armed Forces.

Current STAR4Defense satellite sites:

• Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, Calif.
• Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, Ga.
• Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
• Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.
• Blue Grass Army Depot, Ky.
• Letterkenny Army Depot, Pa.
• Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa.
• Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas
• Inter-American Air Forces Academy, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

Rock Island Arsenal Becomes a STAR4Defense Satellite Site

The U.S. Army’s Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) is the nation’s largest government owned and operated arsenal, and the Iowa Waste Reduction Center’s STAR4Defense painter training and certification program has had the privilege of working with RIA since the fall of 2004. Located on the Mississippi River, the Arsenal is an island of 946 acres, bordered by Iowa and Illinois.