REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala.--The Army Contracting Command commanding general outlined his priorities and gave the ACC/ECC headquarters staffs their first glimpse of transformation initiatives.
During a town hall meeting here Nov. 12, Brig. Gen. Theodore C. Harrison laid out initial information about how the Army- directed 25 percent cuts at two-star and above headquarters may affect ACC.
Harrison said his top priorities included ensuring "a climate of trust, dignity and respect." He said that was especially true when it comes to combating sexual harassment and sexual assault.
"We need to create a climate where people feel comfortable to come forward and report it," he added, saying the Army as a whole "has work to do."
Turning to the headquarters reduction, Harrison announced a window will be opened for HQ ACC non-contract specialist (career program 1102) employees to apply for early retirement and separation under the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments. The window will be open for three weeks beginning Nov. 18 and close at 5 p.m. Central Standard Time Dec. 6.
To help HQ employees understand their options, the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Human Capital began a series of training and information sessions on Nov. 13.
He is also focused on preparing the command to operate in a climate of declining budgets. He expects sequestration and declining budgets to be around for the foreseeable future.
Harrison said the big challenge facing the command is "how does ACC look to support the Army of 2020." He established a transformation team to look at the headquarters structure and to "think outside the box. I want some bold ideas."
One change coming in fiscal year 2014 is further integration of the ACC and ECC headquarters staffs. With the exception of the commanders' personal staffs, the two headquarters will share staff functions. The ECC will retain its focus on expeditionary contracting.
Harrison said the next four to five years will be challenging and pledged to keep the staff informed. He plans to conduct quarterly town hall meetings, but said they could be held more often as the environment changes.
Town hall meeting slides are available in the Administrative Repository section of ACC SharePoint site, https://acc.aep.army.mil/default.aspx (CAC required).
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