Army Materiel Command’s Commander Gen. Ed Daly promised the AMC security assistance enterprise “4-star concurrence” to make any changes that are needed to win.
This pledge was offered up during closing remarks at the AMC Security Assistance Enterprise Senior Leader Forum, hosted by U.S. Army Security Assistance Command’s Commander Brig. Gen. Brad Nicholson, Dec. 13-15.
The forum’s theme, “Foreign Military Sales in Today’s Competitive Environment,” was addressed by representatives from the Department of Defense, Army and AMC levels on the gathering’s first, second and third days, respectively.
Daly’s message to the workforce was that to maintain the strategic advantage, the enterprise should streamline processes to be more responsive, and to prioritize security assistance and foreign military sales cases with the greatest impact and most important capabilities. He emphasized a shared vision and flat communications across the enterprise along with proactive collaboration.
Daly, AMC’s 20th commanding general, also discussed organizations and structures that are key to improving the process. USASAC’s Security Assistance Training Management Organization can achieve greater effects with better manning, resourcing and more agile deployments, indicated Daly, as it moves toward SATMO 2030. Daly also asked the Security Assistance Management Directorates, which are part of AMC’s Life Cycle Management Commands, to articulate any inefficiencies they see when working with their LCMCs and Program Executive Offices.
He also stressed the importance of the “connective tissue” of the State Partnership Program and the Security Force Assistance Brigades to security assistance and foreign military sales for training allies and partners, and how SATMO working with the SFABs can provide an additional strategic presence.
He concluded his address by asking attendees to continue to focus on the sustainment of ally and partner equipment because it ensures the ability to fight in a coalition environment. He noted that trust and credibility come to the enterprise by holding itself accountable for delivery timelines and using the Commander’s Critical Information Requirements process to communicate and resolve issues that impact delivery. USASAC’s G-3 followed Daly with an overview of the foreign military sales CCIR reporting mechanism and how it incorporates recipients and timelines.
Nicholson placed an emphasis on relationships as he opened the forum, which was designed to provide greater understanding to the current operational environment, and stakeholders’ strategic focus, perspectives and issues.
Alex Kleckner, chief, Security Cooperation Program Branch, U.S. Northern Command, stressed the need to be more agile and responsive to partner nations in the competitive environment, and the importance of remaining the partner of choice.
Jeff Hughes, deputy director, U.S. Southern Command, J5, recommended better communication to help manage partner nations’ expectations, but noted that modest investments in this resource-limited region can provide outsized returns on investment.
Col. Dan Oh, chief, Internal Military Affairs, G-3, Security Cooperation Division, U.S. Army Pacific Command, described the importance of armies as the stabilizing institution in the Indo-Pacific, and that this requires maintaining a persistence presence in the region. Oh also noted that the importance of using exercises to demonstrate the capabilities of Army equipment and USASAC using key leader engagements for corresponding foreign military sales interest.
Army stakeholder perspectives included Army headquarters G-3/5/7’s Chief of International Affairs Col. Jonathan Dunn, who briefed how the Army is breaking new ground by synchronizing Title 10 and Title 22 security cooperation tools through its allies and partners doctrine in support of the National Defense Strategy and Army Campaign Plan 23-30.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation also emphasized greater integration of Title 10 and Title 22 programs.
Other Army stakeholder presentations and discussions included Security Force Assistance Command, Corps of Engineers, and Security Assistance Training Field Activity.
The final discussions were focused on AMC security assistance enterprise challenges and solutions and codifying the fiscal year 2023 AMC security assistance enterprise strategy. Marv Whitaker, director, USASAC Strategy, Integration, Policy and Analysis, explained how the current AMC campaign plan was restructured to better align with Army Campaign Plan 23-30 and the previous 38 AMC initiatives were trimmed to 18. Foreign military sales and building partner capacity are now stipulated as one of the 18, according to Whitaker.
The Army security assistance fiscal 2023 strategy, and its three Lines of Efforts (People First, Execute Comprehensive Security Assistance Program, and Modernize AMC Security Assistance Enterprise for the Future) and corresponding objectives were a final point of discussion led by USASAC’s SiPA, along with foreign military sales process improvement (led by USASAC’s G-9 director).
Nicholson closed the forum with final remarks highlighting transparency and communication and how he can assist. He stated that while he talks to his USASAC directors every day, he also talks to the COCOMs, ASCCs, ASAALT (Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), DASA-DEC and DSCA (Defense Security Cooperation Agency) and encouraged all to raise issues and ideas to him. His final instruction, “Tell your people what they do makes a difference every day.”
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