Gen. Ed Daly, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, prepares to present a commanders coin to Cindy Beserra in honor of her 40 years of federal service. Daly made the presentation during an Oct. 27 visit to ASC Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. (Photo by Linda Lambiotte, ASC Public Affairs)

Gen. Ed Daly, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, congratulates Ashely Essex after presenting her with a commander’s coin for her work on funding actions related to Operation Allies Welcome. Daly made the presentation during an Oct. 27 visit to ASC Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. (Photo by Linda Lambiotte, ASC Public Affairs)

Gen. Ed Daly, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, congratulates Rick Murphy after presenting him with a commander’s coin for his work on a lease for facilities at Subic Bay in the Philippines. Daly made the presentation during an Oct. 27 visit to ASC Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois (Photo by Linda Lambiotte, ASC Public Affairs)

Gen. Ed Daly, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, congratulates Capt. Sarah Newsome after presenting her with a commander’s coin for her work on developing a talent management initiative in support of the recent ASC Senior Leader Forum. Daly made the presentation during an Oct. 27 visit to ASC Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. (Photo by Linda Lambiotte, ASC Public Affairs)

Gen. Ed Daly, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, congratulates Steven Wall after presenting him with a commander’s coin for his work on contracting actions during Operation Allies Welcome. Daly made the presentation during an Oct. 27 visit to ASC Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. (Photo by Linda Lambiotte, ASC Public Affairs)

Gen. Ed Daly, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, congratulates Mary Ann Wicks after presenting her with a commander’s coin for her work on promoting resilience in the ASC workforce during the coronavirus pandemic. Daly made the presentation during an Oct. 27 visit to ASC Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. (Photo by Linda Lambiotte, ASC Public Affairs)

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – Gen. Ed Daly, who now serves as commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, gained appreciation for the value of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command during his tenure as ASC’s top leader.

Daly frequently cited ASC’s value to national defense, and the contributions made by individual members of the command’s team, during an Oct. 27 visit here to ASC Headquarters.

“I really love coming back to ASC,” Daly said. “You have great people here, and I really appreciate all you do for the Army. You truly are making your mark and having a positive impact at every level.”

Daly made the remarks before presenting commander’s coins and certificates to these six members of the ASC team:

• Capt. Sarah Newsome of Human Resources (G1), who was cited for developing a talent management initiative in support of the recent ASC Senior Leader Forum.

• Steven Wall, a logistics management specialist in the Acquisition Integration and Management Center, for his work on contracting actions during Operation Allies Welcome, the effort to support and resettle Afghan refugees.

• Ashley Essex of Resource Management (G8), for her work on funding actions related to Operation Allies Welcome.

• Attorney-advisor Richard Murphy, for his work on a lease for facilities at Subic Bay in the Philippines.

• Mary Ann Wicks of Human Resources (G1), for her work on promoting resilience in the ASC workforce during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Cindy Beserra, ASC’s secretary of the general staff (SGS), who was cited for 40 years of federal service.

Daly then received a briefing on current ASC programs and initiatives. As the briefing began, he outlined the basic reason for his visit.

“What I’m here to do is provide overall guidance and intent,” he said, “so you can go from here and drive forward.

“Inevitably, when I speak to other leaders, what comes up in our discussions is the Army Sustainment Command and the great value you add to their organizations,” Daly said. “As the Army goes forward with modernization and reforming readiness, it all depends on ASC.”

The topics covered in the briefing included the current and planned Army Prepositioned Stocks strategy. Daly was also briefed on the effort to reform and modernize food service facilities at large Army installations, with Fort Bliss, Texas, cited as a specific example of how this effort might proceed.

“You’re taking an enterprise approach to this,” Daly said of a proposal to reform food service contracting, “and that’s exactly how we need to do business.”

Daly was then updated on improvements to readiness reporting, and on initiatives to upgrade infrastructure at facilities that serve as power projection platforms.

“As we go about this, I need ASC to remain focused on building and sustaining the readiness of the operational and tactical force,” Daly said.

As the briefing concluded, Daly expressed confidence in ASC’s ability to continue to carry out its mission.

“You’re doing fantastic work, and your people are really leaning into readiness,” Daly said. “We had a substantive discussion, you’ve got your guidance, and there’s no doubt in my mind that you will move out and execute.”