Forum sets course for Army Materiel Command leaders

By Ms. Kimberly Hanson (AMC)July 15, 2019

Forum sets course for Army Materiel Command leaders
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

With a resolute focus on strengthening current readiness, building the capability to surge, and modernizing for the future, the Army Materiel Command enterprise will provide the foundation for the Army's continued ability to fight and win the nation's wars, said the command's top officer.

During a forum with the leadership of AMC's 10 subordinate commands, July 9-10, Gen. Gus Perna, AMC commanding general, charged the group to bring Multi-Domain Operations, and the Strategic Support Area within it, to life.

"Army Materiel Command is responsible for ensuring readiness of the Strategic Support Area," said Perna. "The SSA is not confined to the U.S. It is wherever we support the fight. It is where combat power is generated, projected and sustained."

Over the two-day forum, leaders identified actions and initiatives within seven focused efforts set as priorities by Perna: Installation Readiness; Soldier and Family Readiness; Industrial Base Readiness; Munitions Readiness; Strategic Power Projection; Supply Availability and Equipment Readiness; and Logistics Information. From home station where Soldiers live and train, to the battlefield where they fight, Army Materiel Command sets conditions for success.

"We must be ready and get readiness right before we can cross into modernization," Perna said.

That means making changes now to prepare for the next generation of modernized equipment.

"We need to make sure we have the ability to store, train on, deploy and maintain the equipment that the Cross Functional Teams are developing for the future," he said.

Installations, including motor pools and training ranges, must be properly designed. Ammunition plants must be able to produce and store the required munitions. Depots must be modernized with upgraded equipment to reset and maintenance weapon systems. None of this will happen without forethought and a coordinated approach.

"You -- the commanders in this room -- have to pull the string all the way through," said Perna. "Commanders are responsible for, and will be held accountable to, integrating and synchronizing capabilities."

That coordination goes farther than across AMC, Perna said. Leaders must synchronize efforts with partners in the other Army Commands, the Secretariat and Army Staff. Most importantly for modernization, AMC must be lock-step with Army Futures Command and the Cross Functional Teams.

"We cannot be constrained by people pushing the status quo," Perna said. "We are going to change the way we do work."

From Military Construction to depot workload, from contracting to medical logistics, Perna said the leaders in the room needed to think big and think differently.

"We all need to apply the intellectual rigor to get this right," he said. "Plan to be professionally uncomfortable."

The semi-annual AMC Commanders Forum allows Perna to give his intent, while also hearing feedback and updates from each command.

"Two years ago, you focused us on Shape the Fight and organizing the command appropriately to maximize output," noted Bryan Samson, deputy to the commanding general, Army Contracting Command. "Now we are focused on moving forward."

Perna closed out the forum with a familiar quote.

"The difference between being ready and reacting will be measured in lives lost," he said. "We must make sure we give 100 percent every day to the end state."