A large but quiet change will take place in Army installation supply and maintenance activities during the next two years.
Directorates of Logistics (DOLs), a worldwide organization currently managed by the Installation Management Command, will split into Directorates of Materiel (DOM) and Directorates of Support Services (DOSS), realigning functions to fit the Army Enterprise concept.
Materiel programs, including installation-level maintenance activities, certain supply operations and ammunition supply functions, will transfer to Army Materiel Command, while IMCOM will retain its transportation, services and support missions under the DOSS.
Army Sustainment Command is AMC's choice to take on the new mission. Initial operating capability for management of DOMs located in the United States, Alaska and Hawaii is scheduled to begin Oct. 1. Full operating capability is expected in fiscal year 2012, beginning Oct. 1, 2011.
The scope of the mission is large: $1 billion in supply and maintenance work at 77 installations, including approximately 2,100 government employees and 15,000 contractors.
The DOM will execute transitioning supply, maintenance and ammunition supply missions formerly performed by the installation DOLs. What this means for ASC is the assumption of a large new mission. What it means for the organizations supported by the current DOLs is they will see no change in service, said Carl Cartwright, executive director for Field Support.
"For the average person, nothing will change," he said.
Splitting the DOL is the result of the Army's Enterprise Architecture that divides Army Force Generation functions into four enterprises, Cartwright said. Personnel will be led by Training and Doctrine Command, readiness by Forces Command, installations and services shared by IMCOM and the vice chief of staff of the Army, and materiel by AMC.
The objective is to align all Army functions into core competencies under the Army commands and a direct reporting unit.
A priority goal of the reorganization is to create more efficient supply and maintenance capabilities for the Army, said Kathy Acree, co-lead of the DOM Integrated Product Team.
Additional efficiencies may derive from consolidation of installation maintenance programs and developing a common acquisition strategy. Employing ASC's Command Assessment and Continuous Improvement Office to share best practices and replicate them at all locations will also yield benefits, said Acree.
At this point, AMC has delegated management of the DOM to ASC because it fits the field-level support mission.
Continued planning for the realignment will take place over the two years of the IOC process, Cartwright said. During this initial phase of the transfer, funding, manpower, and resources will remain with IMCOM. At full implementation, all funding and assets will transfer to ASC.
So far, the IPT has determined the DOM will be centrally managed, with a command and control group located at ASC and consisting of five regional offices: three sections to oversee CONUS locations, one for Europe and one for the Far East. At this point, there are no plans to manage installation activities in Southwest Asia, Cartwright said.
The Army Field Support Brigades will interface with the DOMs on behalf of the warfighters, Acree said. They will continue as AMC's face to the field, coordinating with the DOMs on workload prioritization and synchronization of support requirements.
Several challenges face the IPT in its DOM development, including the task of planning for this responsibility.
"This isn't about a cookie cutter solution," said Acree. "We must take into account unique aspects at each installation in order to support senior mission commander requirements. For us to be able to assume management, we have to first understand what missions are involved."
"We look at this as a major step forward for the Army in making more effective use of resources by aligning missions with core competencies," Acree concluded.
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