We are approaching the end of the calendar year 2021, and our Army senior leader priorities remain crystal clear: People, Readiness, and Modernization. As the Army’s senior sustainer, I could not be prouder of the incredible work and accomplishments of the materiel enterprise these past 12 months nested with, and in support of, Army priorities.
This year left us with no shortage of demanding missions and tasks, from the COVID-19 pandemic response to ongoing contingency operations and multinational, joint exercises in theaters across the globe. Without fail, time and again, you demonstrated the resolve, determination, and innovation that has been the hallmark of logisticians throughout our history. You validated those effective operations rely on sustainment, and most importantly, the support you provided allowed our Army to successfully answer our nation’s call.
While the end of the year provides a time to reflect on all that has been achieved, it’s also a time to look forward. Our Army is in the midst of its greatest transformation in four decades while maintaining strategic readiness that will allow us overmatch in competition, crisis, and conflict. Sustainment transformation must keep pace to ensure freedom of action, operational reach, and prolonged endurance in support of Aimpoint 2035 and a multi-domain operation-ready force in a contested environment. This requires us to think, operate, execute, and assess differently, and it starts with envisioning the battlefield of the future, particularly from a sustainment perspective.
Over the next few editions of Army Sustainment, your fellow sustainment leaders and I will explore how we set conditions today to modernize the sustainment warfighting function from the fort to the factory to the foxhole. We know intelligence drives operations, and that operations can only be achieved with sustainment as a key enabler. Through the military decision making process, we will assess the current environment, identify facts and assumptions, visualize the end state, and determine the actions required to operate on a 21st century battlefield in an MDO environment.
As Gen. Dwight Eisenhower said, “You will not find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns, and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics.” While sustainers play an integral and essential role in our Army, you operate primarily behind the scenes and out of the spotlight. This holiday season, know that our Army senior leaders see you. They—we—appreciate you, and we are proud of you. Enjoy some downtime with your families and loved ones and recharge because we need every sustainer energized and ready to approach 2022 with enthusiasm and drive.
People First. Winning Matters. Army Strong!
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Gen. Ed Daly serves as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. He served three years as the deputy commanding general of AMC in his previous assignment. He managed the day-to-day operations of the Army’s logistics enterprise and served as the senior commander of Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. He served as the commanding general of Army Sustainment Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, and as AMC’s deputy chief of staff, overseeing the roles and functions of the headquarters staff.
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This article was published in the Oct-Dec 2021 issue of Army Sustainment.
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