Fort Leavenworth Garrison prepares for next summer surge

By Katie PetersonJanuary 28, 2021

Eleven-year-old Cami Hunter watches from the porch as her father, Maj. Ben Hunter, incoming Command and General Staff Officer Course student, and ABF driver Ray Lilotta move a ramp into place for unloading their household goods July 10, 2020, on post. The Hunter family opted for a do-it-yourself move from Apex, N.C., to Fort Leavenworth, packing their own household goods and hiring a driver to transport their belongings from post to post. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp
Eleven-year-old Cami Hunter watches from the porch as her father, Maj. Ben Hunter, incoming Command and General Staff Officer Course student, and ABF driver Ray Lilotta move a ramp into place for unloading their household goods July 10, 2020, on post. The Hunter family opted for a do-it-yourself move from Apex, N.C., to Fort Leavenworth, packing their own household goods and hiring a driver to transport their belongings from post to post. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp (Photo Credit: Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Jan. 28, 2021) -- In February 2020, it was announced that Fort Leavenworth would be a part of a pilot program, along with Carlisle Barracks, Pa., and Fort Bliss, Texas, aimed to improve permanent-change-of-station moves for all soldiers.

Information gleaned from the program has led to the launch of a new data group system developed by Installation Management Command called the PCS Process and Data Management (PPROMA) Tool. Fort Leavenworth leaders will receive access to PPROMA Jan. 29 and will use it for the upcoming PCS season.

“It’s the first time that there has ever been a system like this,” said Joy Chalmers, knowledge management analyst in the Garrison Plans, Analysis and Integration Office. “(IMCOM) is taking and combining what used to be literally dozens of data sets and they’re putting it into a dashboard so that Garrison staff and eventually the service member can see in one place exactly what is happening in their transition.”

The new system will include information about requests for orders, transportation information, housing information and more.

“The endpoint for this should be a one-stop-shop,” Chalmers said.

Chalmers said Fort Leavenworth Garrison staff have been working weekly with IMCOM to get the database ready, relying on Garrison Commander Col. Harry Hung’s knowledge of data analysis.

“Like last year, Fort Leavenworth is leading the way,” Chalmers said. “Colonel Hung, he tracks it to every family level. He’s always looking at the 30,000-foot view, seeing what the trends are, but he’s also going down to that family-, nametape-level data.

“(Colonel Hung’s) making sure that Private Smith is getting exactly the type of move that he should get and that he can focus on the mission instead of all the little things that go into the PCS experience,” she said.

Along with the pilot program revealing what would make the PCS experience better Army-wide, Chalmers said it also revealed what Fort Leavenworth could do better.

“The big challenge that we learned from last year with COVID is that flexibility is key and customer service is key,” Chalmers said. “The entire Garrison went through a transformation of service culture.

“People loved the quick response from housing so we’re trying to make it even quicker and keep the communication going. We’re building on the good stuff from last year and making it even better,” she said. “We want to make sure that every single family is taken care of and that we’ve given every service member (whether student or permanent party) a first-class transition into Fort Leavenworth and out of Fort Leavenworth.”

Over the months leading up to the summer moving season, the Fort Leavenworth Lamp will publish a series of articles explaining the steps of the PCS move more in-depth, including medical and Exceptional Family Member Program needs, requests for orders, transportation, housing, spouse employment, child care options and more with input from subject matter experts in each field.