Takeover of Army platforms highlights AMC missions

By AMC Public AffairsMarch 12, 2018

usa image
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
usa image
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Materiel readiness is front and center this week as the Army Materiel Command executes a takeover of the Army's social media platforms.

"You cannot have Army readiness without materiel readiness," said Gen. Gus Perna, the Army's senior logistician and AMC's commanding general. "Soldiers cannot win on the battlefield without weapons to shoot, tanks to maneuver, food to eat and the logistics support to ensure those provisions are in place when they are needed."

During a weeklong effort that ends Friday, the Army is dedicating its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to shine a light on how AMC, its subordinate commands and other partners equip the fighting force.

"The Army is showcasing the materiel enterprise with articles, photos, videos and live looks inside some of our facilities," said Megan Gully, a public affairs specialist at AMC.

Facebook viewers can take a live look inside Anniston Army Depot today with a virtual tour of the small arms facility and a vehicle test track. Friday's live look comes from inside a Blackhawk Aircrew Training simulator at Redstone Arsenal's Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center.

Gully said the goal is to broaden understanding of both the command and the dedicated people behind the scenes who are committed to the Soldier.

For every training exercise and contingency, Army Materiel Command and the materiel enterprise ensures the right equipment gets to the right place at the right time. That is the importance of materiel readiness.

"Materiel readiness is a broad concept that ranges from manufacturing arsenals to scientific labs," Gully said. "The materiel enterprise touches everything from Soldier nutrition to self-driving vehicles. From beans to bullets and everything in between."

Readiness has long been the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley's top priority. Listing existing and emerging threats, Milley said the Army must have the ability to deal with two of them simultaneously.

Materiel readiness ensures the warfighter has access to the materiel necessary to fight and win the Nation's wars. It encompasses equipment maintenance on today's shop floor, researching future fighting technologies, warehousing supplies, transporting equipment and so much more. Materiel readiness is critical to the Army's ability to make decisions, conduct operations and project America's fighting force around the globe.

Along with AMC, the Department of the Army G-4, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology make up the foundation of the Army's materiel enterprise.

"Fuel, water, ammunition -- these are computations our experts understand," Perna said. "Our logisticians combine the fundamentals of sustaining a land force with state-of-the-art tools to both see ourselves on a global scale and ensure wherever our troops are, they are ready to fight tonight."

Providing materiel readiness also requires a dependable distribution network of railways, ports and distribution centers. The Army's stateside and global distribution networks provide the Army a strategic and tactical advantage against threats, guaranteeing rapid movement of Soldier equipment from fort to port and onward to the battlefield.

Additionally, Army Materiel Command manages strategically located combat equipment sets, known as Army Prepositioned Stocks. Both ashore and afloat, Army Prepositioned Stocks provide Combatant Commanders a capability ready to respond to any threat or humanitarian crisis. The Army is actively upgrading equipment in prepositioned stocks to ensure Soldiers draw the most modern equipment, primed for response.

To prepare for the future battlefield, Army Materiel Command is building depth, breadth and speed into the Army's global supply chain to provide Soldiers with modern, lethal equipment.

"The Army is modernizing to enhance the fundamentals of our land force -- Soldiers' ability to shoot, move and communicate," said Perna. "Ultimately, our sons and daughters are putting their lives on the line in defense of our national security. The materiel enterprise ensures they deploy with confidence in their equipment."