ASC enters 'last tactical mile' to new missions

By Ms Megan M Mcintyre (AMC)September 13, 2011

Deputy CG addresses ROC drill
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Harmon addresses ROC drill
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Victor Harmon, commander of ASC's Distribution Management Center, addresses participants in the Aug. 30-Sept. 1 rehearsal of concept drill held at RIA's Baylor Conference Room. The ROC drill incorporated three significant programs: LMI, DOL and ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Army Sustainment Command hosted a rehearsal of concept drill Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at the Baylor Conference Room here, incorporating three significant programs: Lead Materiel Integrator, Directorate of Logistics and Leveraging Sustainment Organizations in the Continental United States.

ASC subject matter experts from each program and Army Field Support Brigade representatives attended, as well as participants from other commands via video teleconference.

Brig. Gen. Brian Layer, ASC's deputy commanding general for sustainment, opened with remarks summing up the goals for the three-day event.

"The purpose of this ROC drill is to identify the processes, procedures, and tasks that we have to conduct at what we are calling the 'last tactical mile,'" Layer said. "So it's really figuring out how we do our business given the three major changes going on here at ASC."

The last tactical mile refers to tasks that originate or terminate on an installation in support of a materiel distribution or redistribution order. Layer said it is important to develop a common understanding of how processes work when it comes to delivering services to customers in the field.

Accomplishing these tasks is going to take a different approach to thinking said Col. Victor Harmon, commander of ASC's Distribution Management Center.

"What I need you to do is come up with different types of solutions," he said to the audience. "Let's figure out what we can do to get past the mindset of what we have already done."

Layer gave an explanation of the three programs and how ASC fits into each one.

LMI is a set of authorities given to the Army Materiel Command. ASC, as the executing agent for that authority, has been given a new mission for equipping the Army.

LSOC, on the other hand, is an agreement between U.S. Army Forces Command and AMC to perform materiel management functions in the Continental United States, with ASC once again as executing agent.

"This means we have to coordinate a little differently to make sure that we leverage every dollar that the government has already spent before we spend another government dollar," Layer said.

Lastly, the DOL is a great capability that has come to ASC and provides the command with a new set of functions on 77 installations, said Layer. Through this program, ASC will align installation-level materiel and services support functions under the Army's Materiel Enterprise.

"So we are trying to figure out how to put this all together," said Layer. "I think we are going to meet our objective, which is to build those processes to ensure they work in the field."

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