IMCOM Commanding General Visits Fort Detrick

By LanessaApril 29, 2016

IMCOM Commanding General Visits Fort Detrick
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Priorities, people and policy were among the top subjects discussed during a visit April 15 by Lt. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, U.S. Army Installation Management Command commanding general. Dahl, who took command in November of last year, explained how budgets have been inadequate and are directly affecting readiness, and how infrastructure remains his top priority.

"Pay close attention to the strategic environment the government, the Army and the Department of Defense are in. We have, no kidding, serious threats, and my job is to figure out how I can help you," said Dahl.

With that, Dahl discussed his priorities: infrastructure, training and readiness, and last but not least, Soldier and family programs, all of which his visit to Fort Detrick was tailored around. In his time here in Frederick, Dahl met with leaders and made stops around the installation to hear about our challenges including Area B, child and youth services and access control.

Dahl thanked the staff for giving him high quality feedback during his brief visit.

"When I'm limited in time, I just assume you load me up with challenges and homework because I have the time to do that verses my predecessors. I am liberated from those other responsibilities and now you have an opportunity you didn't have before," said Dahl.

Dahl went on to talk about how he works, as well as the overall intent of the IMCOM.

"My philosophy is not what you typically see in a military unit, where everybody believes they work for the commander and information flows in that way," explained Dahl. "The IMCOM is a supporting organization. Here at Fort Detrick, you work for the senior commander and all others here with their missions, so the region has to support you and the IMCOM headquarters has to support the region."

Dahl is the first leader of the IMCOM to wear a sole hat. Prior to Dahl, the IMCOM and the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management were commanded by one three-star general, in a dual-hatted status. With this current assignment, Dahl doesn't have to spend most of his time at the Pentagon, and has the ability to reach out to each installation and to advocate for policy changes and set priorities.

"At first, the IMCOM staff in San Antonio were nervous to have a commander there every day. Now staff is discovering it's a good thing. They realize they can now ask for guidance or support at any time and installations are open to him getting out and making his own observations," Said Dahl.

Dahl's recent travels have taken him to over 30 installations in five months, including installations where, according to Dahl, "we just can't afford to keep them fully staffed, and instead have begun stationing rotational combat teams there."

Some of the installations he visited were closed and handed over to local government, such as one in Germany, which primarily is used now for Syrian refugees by the German government.

Dahl also talked about how things are changing with the budget restrictions. With less money to work with, things are going back to pre-war status. Soldiers and their families were used to being treated certain ways and having top of the line services and programs and extras, but now it's all changing.

"We tell these teams, 'don't expect what you see in a deployment, it's a rotation, not a deployment, and we are restoring, or going back to, how we were,'" said Dahl.

Dahl understands the Soldier of today ranks Wi-Fi above most comforts of home, and "Spartan plus Wi-Fi" is the new description of the rotation policy at installations on rotations.

"None of this is new; this is the way the Army was run," said Dahl. "We have been allowing ourselves to treat Soldiers too softly, and frankly, what Soldiers and their families need to do is thrive in an austere and a Spartan environment. They have to be tough, resilient and rugged. When you expect that of people, they remarkably respond well because there is an expectation and I'm in the process of resetting that expectation."

Soldiers and family programs is another priority of Dahls, and one he takes very seriously.

"When we needed things in the past, we fought for money to correct the issue. We now have to be creative and meet the demand without spending money," explained Dahl.

After visiting several installations, he was told of multiple, and in some cases hundreds, of military families on a waitlist to attend on-post childcare. In fact, many who live on installations are now taking their children off post for care, and then coming back on post to go to work. Dahl went on to say that some will argue we need more child care facilities, however, his thought is that active duty should take priority and that policy should be changed. Again, going back to the past, active duty were priority, and if there were spaces, civilians were provided that opportunity. Somehow, the way it is done now became policy, and according to Dahl, this should be looked at and considered for revision.

Dahl went on to say we need to be smart how we spend our money and how effective our programs really are.

"I ask all of you to look at where you are spending. If it doesn't make sense, and where it doesn't make sense, feed that up," said Dahl.

The highlight of Dahl's visit for many involved the personal interaction between Dahl himself and employees. While making his rounds, Dahl handed out ten coins to civilian Department of Defense employees who were nominated by their supervisors for their hard work and dedication to Fort Detrick and those they serve. Dahl thanked each of them for their work and contributions to support the IMCOM and Fort Detrick missions.