Leaders discuss future of Army Sustainment Enterprise

By Alyssa CrockettMay 19, 2023

Leaders discuss future of Army Sustainment Enterprise
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – From left, Col. James Hoyman, Fort Gregg-Adams garrison commander; Sydney Smith, Army Sustainment University President; Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly, CASCOM and Fort Gregg-Adams senior commander; and Sgt. Maj. Marissa Cisneros, Army Sustainment University sergeant major cut the ribbon redesignating Army Logistics University as Army Sustainment University, May 16, 2023, at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. (Photo Credit: Onyx Taylor-Catterson) VIEW ORIGINAL
Leaders discuss future of Army Sustainment Enterprise
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Senior sustainers, spanning active, Reserve and Guard forces, from the department of the Army headquarters and Army and combatant commands to theater sustainment commands and schoolhouses participated in the Army Sustainment Leader Summit, May 16, 2023. The summit was part of sustainment week events at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia hosted by U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command. (Photo Credit: Onyx Taylor-Catterson) VIEW ORIGINAL
Leaders discuss future of Army Sustainment Enterprise
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. Charles Hamilton, Army Materiel Command commanding general, provides opening remarks during at the Army Sustainment Leader Summit at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, May 16, 2023. The summit was part of sustainment week events hosted by U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command. (Photo Credit: Onyx Taylor-Catterson) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – As modernization efforts in the Army continue, the Army sustainment enterprise remains focused on meeting emerging demands of a contested environment.

Senior sustainers, spanning active, Reserve and Guard forces, from the department of the Army headquarters and Army and combatant commands to theater sustainment commands and schoolhouses participated in the Army Sustainment Leader Summit, May 16. The summit was part of sustainment week events at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia hosted by U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command.

Gen. Charles Hamilton, Army Materiel Command commanding general, who led the discussion during the summit said capabilities and skilled data leaders can help sustainers make better, faster and more informed decisions at echelon.

That predictive logistics strategy ties into what Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth highlighted as a key objective “to ensure the Army becomes more data-centric and can conduct operations in contested environments, which will enable our ability to prevail on the future battlefield.”

The strategy entails having optimized quantities of materiel and services, prioritization of those resources, and prioritization of supported units. At the core of it all is people – specifically, the right training for Soldiers, leaders and commanders in multi-domain operations.

“One of the most important things we will focus on this week is talent management. We can’t talk about this topic enough,” Hamilton said. “Things evolve and they change. Just because we did it one way, doesn’t mean the people behind us think that’s a great idea.”

Managing talent correctly at all echelons in the information age is essential for the Army to keep pace with future requirements, according to Hamilton. The process requires buy-in from all members of an organization who understand talent management is not singular, yet an inclusive, evolving approach that applies to every Soldier who serves – spanning beyond rank or position.

“The generation now is connected to everything now. Things look different and the way younger folks get their information is different,” he said.

Other events included a warfighting forum and a panel on transforming Army Sustainment for 2030, which focused on the future of sustaining future large scale combat operations and exploring evolving sustainment warfighting capabilities such as data analytics, predictive logistics, talent requirements, evolving readiness and power projection requirements.

This was the first sustainment week held under the new Fort Gregg-Adams namesake. The installation was redesignated during a ceremony in April in honor of two American heroes and is the first Army installation named for Black military members.

The name honors retired Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg and the late Lt. Col. Charity Adams. Gregg is the Army’s first Black three-star general and namesake of an Army logistics award. Adams led the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion beyond mission accomplishment in the European Theater of Operations during World War II.

“I do want to make sure everyone understands how excited we are to have everyone here, especially with our new name and what that means for us as sustainers. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Lt. Gen. Author Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams with her postal background just another way to bind us as a sustainment community,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly, CASCOM commanding general.

A redesignation of Army Logistics University to Army Sustainment University took place during sustainment week. Sydney Smith, President of Army Sustainment University, noted the name change represents the Army Values and the importance of the sustainment mission itself.

“As the Army modernizes and faces increasingly more complex, lethal threats we know we must prepare our sustainment leaders to thrive in the face of any challenge – not just the traditional ones of yesterday, but the ones we have not even yet thought of. The foundational promise of Army Sustainment University is to provide the innovative, rigorous and relevant learning environment that will develop sustainment leaders to be confident and adaptive stewards of our warfighting profession,” Smith said.

“In the next conflict, when the best equipment fails, and the greatest plans and doctrine are no longer sufficient, it will be our people, our sustainment leaders who take us to victory. Out of many one – we are Army Sustainment University – and sustainment leaders start here.”