Logistics, Materiel Readiness leader visits Army Materiel Command

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala -- May 23, 2012 -- The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness, the Honorable Alan F. Estevez, visited Army Materiel Command elements in Alabama May 22 -- 23.

The two-day visit began with a tour of the AMC headquarters, including a visit to the state-of-the-art global operations center, which gives AMC real-time information and visibility of Army equipment and unit readiness. Estevez also received a demonstration of the tools that support the Logistics Information Warehouse.

"Those are both awesome capabilities to manage AMC's worldwide footprint in support of the Warfighter," Estevez said. "In fact, I told (AMC Commanding General Ann Dunwoody) those capabilities really need to be shown to the Joint Staff and to the United States Marine Corps who have similar requirements. That tool in managing readiness really is going to become important as we draw down."

While on Redstone, Estevez also visited Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM LCMC), where he received a briefing from AMCOM commander, Maj. Gen. James E. Rogers, and Corpus Christi Army Depot Commander, Col. Christopher B. Carlile.

"They are really taking advantage of [the Logistics Modernization Program]," Estevez said. "For the pain of fielding the system, we are now truly reaping the gain -- both in the decreased cost of inventory and the effectiveness of managing the aviation depot."

On the second day of his visit, Estevez flew to Anniston Army Depot, 120 miles south of Redstone Arsenal, to view the installation's capabilities and discuss its potential with Depot Commander Col. Timothy Sullivan and other depot leaders.

Estevez toured the installation's new Small Arms Repair Facility, which opened Jan. 20; the Combat Vehicle Repair Facility, a building with five acres of floor space dedicated to rebuilding military vehicles; the Powertrain Flexible Maintenance Facility, which opened in 2009; and the depot's Turbine Engine Repair Facility, which won the Shingo Bronze Medallion in 2007 for process optimization.

Sullivan said the leadership talked with Estevez about the depot's capacity, both in peacetime and during war, showcasing the modernization the depot has undergone, both in new facilities built on the installation and in older buildings that have been refurbished to meet current and future workload demands.

"It's just an incredible capability the Army has put in place (at Anniston)," Estevez said. "All of that is going to be critically important as we have entered into a time of fiscal austerity. The capabilities at Anniston and AMCOM and HQ AMC -- those are the things that are critical to the mission of supporting the joint community."

Estevez also praised the public-private partnerships at Anniston, such as the work share agreements with General Dynamics Land Systems and BAE Systems, both of whom have a strong presence on the installation and often work side-by-side with depot employees.

"Our public-private partnerships, or P3s, are strategic agreements we have made to increase our workload and position the depot for the future," said Sullivan.

Estevez praised the efforts he saw during his visit.

"Logistics is a $180 billion activity in the Department of Defense," said Estevez. "Every dollar we can affect in logistics without affecting logistics capability - when we can provide the same capability at a lower cost - those are dollars that the U.S. military can use for forces structure or modernization of equipment. That is critical," he added. "Getting logistics down to a cost effective operation is going to become even more important. And frankly, many of the things I've seen in the last few days are the backbone of doing just that."

"As we bring the forces back, resetting the forces is critical to our capability," Estevez added. "At the same time, we're entering a time of true fiscal austerity -- it's critical that we look for those opportunities for savings, both within the Army and across the joint community. We cannot let up in driving those capabilities," he said. "I believe we're up to that challenge. It is going to take a great deal of vigilance, and the Army Materiel Command is the center of that vigilance."

As the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness, Estevez is responsible for providing world class military logistics support across the Department of Defense.