The Army Materiel Command held the 2014 G1 Strategic Symposium with all major subordinate command principals and deputies in the human resource community here March 11-12.
The top concern was moving forward in an economic downturn and defining the future of human resources.
"There is one thousand years of experience in this room," William Marriott, deputy chief of staff of personnel, said. "Put those optimistic glasses on and think about how we could make this work."
John Nerger, executive deputy to the commander, talked about necessary transition. "Opportunities can be born out of necessity. AMC is trying to lead change rather than allowing change to lead us. We really need to embrace the change," Nerger said.
Nerger explained that just like people evolve, organizations must evolve also because they are "living things."
Nerger admitted that fiscal 2013 was a tough year for the public service profession, the mission and especially for the Department of the Army civilians.
"The most important thing about AMC is our people," he said. "We need to protect our interns and sustain our ability to train. When our workforce sees constraints on leadership development, it's telling our workforce that there is no future."
But Nerger empathically disagreed with that idea saying "there is a future" to the personnel leaders.
"The best Army in the world needs the best support in the world," he said. "As the Army gets leaner and smaller the role of the Department of the Army civilian will be highlighted."
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