HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Change was the common thread that tied together the afternoon panel at the Association of the United States Army's Global Force Symposium and Exposition, March 16 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Quoting President John F. Kennedy, "Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future," said Lisha Adams, executive deputy to the commanding general, Army Materiel Command.
Adams was panel moderator and chair for a discussion on "Enabling Transition to Sustainment." The panel brought together Army leaders and industry representatives for a discussion on changes needed to ensure the Army can sustain equipment in today's fiscal environment and as the force transitions from contractor-based maintenance to Soldier-based maintenance.
For panelist Chris Lowman, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition Policy and Logistics, performance-based logistics have potential to be a critical element of the future sustainment strategy, but they must be measureable and have clear objectives.
"I think there is a lot of potential for PBLs in future sustainment but it has to be focused," said Lowman. "As a project manager, you can look at your program and understand the sustainment strategies so that you can take advantage of what a contractor does best, and that is managing a value chain."
Echoing Lowman's comments on the importance of partnerships, James Dwyer, AMC principal deputy chief of staff, G-3/4, said the government and industry should look for ways to partner together. One option is Public-Private Partnerships.
"Public-Private Partnerships can be great because they get the government involved and a part of the team in the first stage. The depots can be a factory for OEMs [Original Equipment Manufacturer] to build the prototypes or produce the systems," said Dwyer of the Army's 23 arsenals, depots and ammunition plants.
Dwyer emphasized that future sustainment must be solved at the start of a system's life cycle.
"We've got to integrate all three functions -- development, acquisition and sustainment -- at the very first day of the life cycle of a system," Dwyer said. "Decisions made early on can drive the cost up or down, so we've got to ensure that those three functions are integrated every day throughout the life cycle. You cannot build sustainment into a program at milestone C."
Panelists included Maj. Gen. Bruce Crawford, commanding general of Communications-Electronics Command; Gary Martin, program executive officer Command, Control and Communications -- Tactical; Paul Bogosian, executive vice president of Science and Engineering Services; and Peri Widener, vice president and general manager of integrated logistics for Boeing.
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