ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — Top-level leaders from across the U.S. Army Sustainment Command converged at Rock Island Arsenal, August 21-24, to attend the ASC Senior Leader Forum and participate in wargame scenarios to challenge them in carrying out their missions.
ASC has a worldwide presence in more than 20 countries and 32 states with more than 40,000 personnel under the command structure. As the logistics arm of its higher headquarters, the U.S. Army Materiel Command, ASC provides warfighters with everything they need to do their job.
ASC's seven Army Field Support Brigades, or AFSBs, oversee more than 70 logistics readiness centers, or LRCs, offering daily services to Soldiers including operating dining facilities, issuing uniforms, laundry services, transportation, lodging and much more.
This annual forum brought together leaders from ASC headquarters, the AFSBs, ASC-Army Reserve Element, the 279th Army Field Support Brigade and LOGCAP Support Brigade.
Maj. Gen. David Wilson, ASC commanding general, said planning efforts like this are crucial in ensuring that ASC delivers the most comprehensive support to combat units if conflict breaks out.
“We don't want to wait until conflict breaks out,” said Wilson. “We're trying to figure out how we're going to support our commanders at the combatant commander level or the corps or division level. This is the time to conduct strategic rehearsals. This is the time for us to practice, the right time for us to refine and adjust. It also allows us a chance to gain and measure interoperability.”
The Senior Leader Forum was an opportunity to bring together key ASC leaders and headquarters staff to assess and improve planning efforts, share best practices, execute the command’s Corps Logistics Support Element and Division Logistics Support Element missions and build team cohesion across the command. That included a close look at manpower needs, equipping, communications and home station support capabilities.
As part of the discussion, a large-scale combat operation wargame, involving both land and sea operations, was used to see how different brigades would interact; friction points in various aspects of operations were identified and will be further analyzed for proposed solutions.
“From the brigade that is going to catch in the theater to the brigade that is going to pitch from CONUS, it allows us to get some technical interoperability within the various capabilities we need to seamlessly do it,” Wilson said. “Do we have the right communications office architecture, not just back here but forward in the theater? And then it’s how we do it, whether we're in a maritime-dominated domain or a land-based domain. That's what this is all about, allowing us to get our legs on the field, a little practice.”
On day two, the AFSB senior leaders along with members of ASC’s command group team engaged in a session of physical training at 6 a.m. in a building adjacent to the Rock Island Arsenal gym. The purpose of the session was to build teamwork and camaraderie within the various AFSBs and with the ASC leadership.
It was there, under very hot, humid conditions, with a heat index of 105 degrees most of the week, the Soldiers were divided into teams and conducted aspects of the Army Combat Fitness Test. Bottled water stored in large containers of ice were available for them to cool themselves off as needed during the one-hour physical training session. Despite the uncomfortable conditions, all agreed that it was a good team-building experience.
All events during the SLF aimed to provide a common view of the current operational environment within ASC regarding its mission and key tasks in support of Army readiness. Wilson said that to stay in a high level of readiness, practice is necessary. “You know you say practice makes perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect.”
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