FORT KNOX, Kentucky (Aug. 6, 2015) -- Gen. Dennis L. Via, Commander, Army Materiel Command, met with Army Human Resources Command Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Seamands, at the Maude Complex Aug. 3 to discuss support for manning guidance requirements in the year ahead.
"Thank you for what you do in support of AMC," said Via in the course of briefings and discussions with senior HRC leaders and directors. "Your support is tremendous in terms of the people we get."
Placing the right Soldier in the right job, with the right skill sets at the right time continues to be HRC's primary effort in meeting the needs of commanders across the force, Seamands said.
For example, Via said AMC depends on HRC's support to properly man critical programs such as the Office of the Program Manager, Saudi Arabian National Guard (OPM-SANG) modernization program in Riyadh, a matrix of bilateral development efforts that will expend something in the order of $35 billion to modernize the kingdom's defense acquisition and modernization programs.
OPM-SANG is a major pillar of a U.S.-Saudi mutual defense relationship that stretches back more than four decades, and finding the best Soldiers to man the joint military-civilian American team with "advisor-diplomats" sufficiently skilled to run the program and grow the critical partnership is essential to its success.
Meeting AMC's needs requires a particular sensitivity and agility on the part of HRC branch managers because the selected Soldiers play critical roles in leading and managing an agency that is largely made up of civilians. HRC is dedicated to making that happen, said Seamands.
Managing Army talent and meeting commander requirements is a greater challenge than ever since the enactment of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and current budget law caps, commonly referred to as sequestration.
Col. Randall Haws, HRC Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, framed the challenges ahead for HRC, AMC and the Army at large by sketching out the projected end force numbers required to meet the congressionally mandated constraints.
The total active component Army force, which reached an historic peak of 570,000 in 2012 -- the greatest number of troops in uniform since the Vietnam era -- will be compelled to shrink to 450,000 by 2017. That constitutes a 21 percent reduction overall, he said.
"As we draw down, we have to work to keep the depth and experience the Army needs to meet its missions, and sustain growth in the critical areas we know will need to expand," Haws said.
Via said the present drawdown poses additional challenges for AMC, with experienced and qualified Soldiers weighing where their next assignment should be.
"They ask themselves, 'Is AMC the place to go?' We know it will get more challenging and there are some key positions that require uniformed personnel, especially those that are deployed," Via said.
He asked whether HRC branch managers still maintain one-on-one relations with Soldiers in the field to provide file assessments, allowing service members to gauge where they stand in their career progression and whether they are likely to advance or leave the service as strength levels are reduced.
HRC continues to provide that one-on-one counseling to Soldiers, said David Martino, acting director of HRC's Officer Personnel Management Directorate.
"And we will need to do this with compassion and respect," said Haws.
"You cannot delegate drawdown responsibilities," said Via. "We have a generation of officers who are uncomfortable giving folks bad news, with sitting down with someone face to face to do this. We owe this to every Soldier, especially those who have deployed multiple times.
"As the drawdown becomes prolonged, it is very important we remain sensitive to the importance of taking the time to have that talk face to face," he said.
Seamands reiterated that Soldiers are people too, with plans and aspirations. For many who have served for years, and who now have to face separation from the profession of arms, it can be a blow to their sense of self as much as a change in career plans.
"At the Army level it is feasible for some to see this as a math problem, but it is really about exercising a human touch," said Seamands.
"The Army is all about people," said Via. "And about Soldiers."
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