HUNTSVILLE, Ala.-- To the American Soldier, nothing is more important than standing ready, no matter what unknown threats the future volatile world may bring.
No one knows that better than Acting Secretary of the Army Patrick J. Murphy.
He's walked in their combat boots. He's deployed to fight a dangerous enemy. He's mourned the loss of his comrades.
Murphy made a stop in Huntsville March 16-18 for the Association of the U.S. Army's Global Force Symposium and Exposition, which not only gave him the opportunity to address Army and industry leaders at the Von Braun Center, but also included a stop at Redstone Arsenal, where he witnessed firsthand the ways Team Redstone is working for readiness, the Army's top priority.
"Redstone is critical to our Army's readiness," he said. "What they do every day is to make sure that our Army and that our Soldiers do not have a fair fight, that they have a technical and a tactical advantage over our enemy. Their partnerships with private industry are second to none."
Outlining his priorities for AUSA attendees, Murphy emphasized readiness above all else, tying in to the symposium's theme of "Building Readiness for Today and Tomorrow."
It's a concept that not only "wins wars," according to Murphy, but also deters dangerous threats, reduces the cost of future training and prepares the Army for a period of transformation.
"Whether we're confronting the barbaric acts of ISIS or the desperation of North Korea, our Army must always be prepared to execute and to win," he said. "We train like we fight and we must always be ready to fight tonight."
Other priorities for Murphy include increasing public-private partnerships, such as the Renewable Energy Supply Agreement Fort Hood recently made with Apex Clean Energy Holdings LLC for a large-scale renewable energy solar and wind project that will generate 65 MW of electricity for the installation in Texas, thus saving the Army about $168 million over 28 years; as well as building on the Soldier for Life program.
Created by former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno, much of the program aims to assist Soldiers in transitioning from the uniform to civilian life, with a special concentration on education, health and employment. Calling veterans "civic assets," the philosophy behind the program is that once they are a leader in the Army, they will continue to be a leader in their places of employment and community.
"You are expected when you become a Soldier -- an American Soldier -- that you are a leader of character for a lifetime of service," said Murphy, citing a quote that has stuck with him since his time at West Point.
REDSTONE'S ROLE
As the home of Army Materiel Command headquarters, whose famous tagline boasts that, "if a Soldier shoots it, flies it, drives it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it -- AMC provides it," Redstone Arsenal and the commands that call it home play a big role in the Army's number one priority.
Comparing AMC to UPS, which executes a similar mission of getting items where they need to go, while UPS operates in more countries, it does so with six times more employees than AMC does, said Murphy, who called AMC the "business side" of the Army. The nearly 175,000 contracting actions valued at $55 billion AMC completed in fiscal year 2015 alone equates to the 105th largest country in the world as far as gross domestic product.
"When you look at AMC, what they're doing is driving readiness to make sure our Soldiers and their families are properly supported," Murphy said.
It's a mission that extends to all members of Team Redstone who have their own unique role to play in supporting the warfighter. Their work does not go unrecognized, Murphy said.
"We wouldn't have the strongest fighting force in the world if it wasn't for our Soldiers and civilians," he said. "These Soldiers and civilians and their families give up so much. They could be getting paid a lot more money in the private sector, but they choose to serve their nation, as Army civilians. I want them to know I'm working for them every day as well."
As Murphy works for Team Redstone, he asks that Team Redstone also works for him.
"We all need to take a hard look at how we can be more efficient and productive for the American Soldier, and be true to the American taxpayer," he said. "How can we innovate? How can we be more efficient? How can we put these incredible tools in our Soldiers' hands quicker?"
HEART FOR SERVICE
For the third generation Soldier, who was named for his mother's best friend who died serving in Vietnam, a life in uniform wasn't necessarily something Murphy aspired to growing up in Pennsylvania. Rather, his heart belonged on the hockey rink, his childhood dream to play for the Philadelphia Flyers. While the 1987 Altar Boy of the Year didn't make the National Hockey League or follow the path to the priesthood like his mother had hoped, his career is nonetheless impressive: West Point professor at 27, elected to Congress before his 30th birthday, a former anchor for his own cable news show and appointed to be the 32nd undersecretary of the Army -- assuming the role of acting secretary less than three days following his appointment.
"I've had an incredible journey in my 42 years, but service has always been a major component," Murphy said.
Nowhere is that more evident than with his time in the Army, both while he served in uniform, as well as the leadership positions he holds today. A graduate of King's College, Murphy was commissioned through the University of Scranton ROTC program. Following 9/11 he deployed twice, once to Bosnia, where he served with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley (then Col. Milley), and to Iraq from 2003-04 with the 82nd Airborne Division, where they lost 19 men in his unit, and he earned a Bronze Star for his service.
No matter where life has taken him, his devotion to service has been the one thing that has remained constant, whether it was working in his Catholic church, delivering newspapers or punching out a window and helping his fellow passengers during the May 2015 Amtrak derailment that killed eight in Philadelphia.
Coming close to death three times over the course of his life, including the Amtrak crash, Murphy feels that his life was spared so that he could do what he feels passionately about: giving back to his country.
"When you have a servant's heart like our Soldiers and civilians do, it comes naturally," he said.
Which is exactly why there was no other answer but "yes" when President Barack Obama asked him to step into his current role.
"You can't say no to the commander in chief," Murphy said. "Every day -- this is not a job, it's my passion. This is my life and I will do anything for my brothers and sisters."
A mere 10 weeks into the job, Murphy has hit the ground running when it comes to ensuring the Army is prepared to win in a complex world. In the office before 6 a.m. every day, sometimes not punching the clock until 13 hours later, Murphy is all in, whether it be testifying before Congress about the budgetary needs of the Army or visiting installations to see the various ways they are supporting his number one priority of readiness, no matter what the mission may be.
"When governors or the president of the United States dial 911, they're calling the United States Army," Murphy said. "Whether that's flooding in Mississippi and it's a governor calling, or it's the president of the United States when it's Ebola, they call the Army."
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