HR Command integrates branches to improve efficiency, communication

By David Ruderman, U.S. Army Human Resources Command Public Affairs OfficeAugust 22, 2016

Frocking sergeants major is a family affair
Frocking Department of Army Operations graduates of SGM Course Class 66 to the rank of sergeant major is a family affair at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas, June 14. U.S. Army Human Resources Command's Sergeant Major Manage... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT KNOX, Kentucky -- Sometimes streamlining for efficiency is as simple as bringing all the players together.

That was the thinking behind the Army Human Resources Command's move in April to functionally integrate three separate branches into a single division tasked with managing the careers of some 5,000 sergeants major and command sergeants major.

The previously separate Command Management Branch and the former Sergeant Major Branch were merged to form the Sergeant Major Management Division, or SMMD, said Sgt. Maj. Eric Thom, the division's first chief.

In addition, the Nominative Sergeant Major Program Office, or NSPO, formerly known as the Sergeant Major Management Office, while it remains located in Arlington, Virginia, was also pulled in under SMMD to integrate the career management of all active duty E9s.

Though physically separated, the NSPO is functionally integrated with SMMD at Fort Knox.

The immediate payoff of integrating the branches can be summed up in one word, according to Thom: communication.

"Because we were stove-piped before, we simply weren't talking to each other," he said. "Now all three branches interact and our efficiency and effectiveness have increased dramatically. The communication right now is better than ever between all three branches."

Thom arrived at HRC in early May after serving as the Army's 14th Aviation Branch command sergeant major at Fort Rucker, Alabama. With a long and varied career in Army Aviation, but no background in Human Resources, Thom sees himself as a team builder.

"It doesn't happen overnight," Thom said. "Sure, the members are all in place, but it takes time to learn how everyone else operates to learn their strengths and weaknesses. We are doing better today than we were six months ago, but we will be even better six months from now."

Sgt. Maj. Michael Barbieri of Command Management Branch said that being in separate offices had been confusing at times and that information wasn't always readily available. Integrating the branches, he said, is leading to more predictability.

"The process is more transparent," agreed Sergeant Major Branch chief, Sgt. Maj. Stephen Bower. "We don't make any assignment without talking to the other branches and that works to the benefit of the Soldiers and their families."

Another benefit of the SMMD integration has been its co-location with HRC's Army Reserve Enlisted Directorate SGM Branch inside the Maude Complex at Fort Knox. The result is better coordination and customer service across the components, according to Thom.

With the team in place, Thom said the SMMD is now focused on the way ahead. HR Command just released a MILPER to the field detailing the FY 2018 Centralized Selection List board for brigade and battalion CSM and SGM key billet positions.

The MILPER is available on the HRC website at http://go.usa.gov/xTgTQ (CAC or DSLogon required).

Related Links:

FY 2018 Centralized Selection List Board MILPER online (CAC or DSLogon required)

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