ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. - Army Contracting Command-Rock Island welcomed ACC Commanding General Maj. Gen. Douglas Lowrey and ACC Command Sgt. Maj. Rachel Harris for a three-day visit, Sept. 23-25.
While it was a quick trip, Lowrey and Harris were able to pack a lot into their first visit to ACC-RI as the command's leaders. On Sept. 23, they accompanied Lynda Armer, executive director, ACC-RI, and other leaders to the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, Middletown, Iowa, for a tour of the production facilities.
On Tuesday, Lowrey and Harris met with ACC-RI leaders and held an in-person town hall for the workforce. During the town hall, Lowrey addressed the fact that the Army will be operating under a tighter budget in FY25 with fewer resources, one of three threats he sees ACC facing.
“Here’s a cold hard fact: we probably are not going to increase in authorizations across ACC as a whole,” said Lowrey. “Some opportunity that I think we have is training. If I have to reduce my people, I have to get them up to a better level.”
A second threat is that ACC as an enterprise doesn’t have one operating concept; the way each ACC center conducts business varies and Lowrey is ok with that, but on a grander scale, he wants to ensure that the enterprise is able to support large scale mobilization operations.
For instance, if 350 Soldiers assigned to the Mission and Installation Contracting Command (which has approximately 1,100 personnel) deploy, how is the rest of ACC going to support those requirements as the MICC’s capacity and capability has decreased due to deployment?
The third threat to ACC is the bathtub curve.
“When you look at ACC, there’s a whole lot of people with less than 5 years and a whole lot of people greater than 10 years, but there’s not a whole lot in the middle,” said Lowrey. “I think it has kind of stayed steady, but across ACC, this curve is a real threat to us because that’s a whole lot of experience lost.”
One way he believes this issue can be addressed is by creating a forum in which employees who are advancing into new levels – contracting officer, branch chief, division chief, etc. – are taught at each of those levels about how to accomplish their roles successfully, thereby helping them grow faster.
During the town hall, Lowrey also presented nine employees with coins, showing his appreciation for their hard work.
Harris also spoke during the town hall, sharing her thoughts on how to build a positive professional culture, why it is important for people to take ownership of their work, the need to connect with others, and having a mentality to win every day.
The workforce then got the opportunity to engage with the ACC leaders during a Q&A session at the end of the town hall. Questions focused on telework, preventing brain drain in the organization, how to avoid burn out and utilizing artificial intelligence in the contracting profession.
On Sept. 25, Lowrey hosted a promotion ceremony for ACC-RI's military deputy, promoting Col. Ina Jackson from lieutenant colonel, in front of Quarters One. Jackson's family attended the event, as did a large contingent of ACC-RI leaders.
Social Sharing