When Dale Smith accepted a position as the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command G-8 director in September 2018, it was the end of the fiscal year – the worst or best possible time, depending on your perspective. As the person who oversees and manages all of the command’s resources, it’s a daunting task even during relative periods of calm.
“In some ways, that's a good time to join because you get thrown right into the fire and you learn a lot about the organization right off the bat – because it's such a busy time,” said Smith. “On the other hand, it's a really, really busy time.”
Smith is leaving AMCOM next month to accept a position as director of resources for the Army G-4 at the Department of the Army headquarters in the Pentagon. It’s an organization Smith became very familiar with in his role at AMCOM.
“Most of our resources come directly from the directorate to which I’m transferring, and working in the [Army Materiel Command] enterprise made me very familiar with the portfolio of the Army G-4,” said Smith. “That was certainly very helpful just from a technical standpoint. I understood the mission pretty clearly because of what AMCOM does.”
Smith credits his success at AMCOM to the hard work of the incredible team he has led for the past three years, the support of his counterparts in other divisions, and the technical knowledge and style of the leadership team.
“I’ve always said I have the best job on Redstone Arsenal. It's professionally rewarding and exciting to work here because of what we do and the staff and teammates we have,” said Smith. “It has been fulfilling on every level, and I have never seen a more professional command team than we have here. It has been an absolute pleasure to work for them.”
Smith said he appreciates working for a command group that sets the standard for the entire organization.
“They have exceptional leadership abilities where they motivate and coordinate across the directorates. They also empower [the directors] and allow us to manage in a way that that we think is necessary,” said Smith. “It’s the best of both worlds. They were exceptional role models to me, which made this position fulfilling and rewarding.”
Smith retired from active duty as an Army lieutenant colonel in 2015 and has extensive experience in resource management as both a Soldier and civilian.
His most recent assignments include chief of the resource management division for U.S. Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal and lead program objective memorandum analyst for AMCOM, in which he was responsible for shaping future years’ requirements to support sustainment of the Army’s aviation fleets and missile inventories.
Smith spent the first part of his active-duty career in armored cavalry before transitioning to comptroller and finance. His new position marks a return to the Pentagon, where Smith served as an active-duty major supporting Army installation services, and he is excited at the opportunity to go back.
“I'm looking forward to the challenge of going to Army G-4 and working in a position where I can make Army-level impacts. That is really exciting,” said Smith. “I will miss the team here because it's really been a pleasure to work at AMCOM and to be the G-8. It's been the highlight of my career, both military and civilian.”
Smith has no qualms about the future of AMCOM’s G-8 because he knows he’s leaving it in the capable hands of his deputy, Wayne Bruno, who will become the acting G-8 until a permanent replacement is named.
“I want to give a special shout-out to the entire G-8 staff, particularly the leaders,” said Smith. “Wayne has been my right hand for more than three years and I’ve never had a better partner to work with. The division chiefs are fantastic and they lead an incredible team. None of this would have happened without the great work of the entire staff.”
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