FORT DETRICK, Md. -- U.S. Army Medical Logistics Command is continuing its partnership with the Army Reserve to provide training opportunities for reserve Soldiers in an active-duty setting.
Utilizing a program through its higher headquarters, AMLC hosted several reserve Soldiers from Army Reserve Sustainment Command’s Detachment 7 program in May.
“DET 7, as it’s commonly called, supports U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command units with reserve Soldiers who can complete their annual training requirements in functional commands, including us here at AMLC,” said Lt. Col. Ibrahim Kabbah, AMLC’s Reserve liaison officer. “At the same time, we can benefit from the supplemental manpower.”
AMLC, headquartered at Fort Detrick, is a direct report to CECOM.
Under the DET 7 program, each Soldier spends about two weeks training at their selected command. At AMLC, two Soldiers worked alongside sustainment experts in the command’s Integrated Logistics Support Center and another within the logistics and supply cell.
“It was very interesting to see how the headquarters environment functions and how strategic planning enables the units on the ground,” said Capt. Jonathan Tamayo, one of the reserve Soldiers who participated in this year’s training rotation.
Tamayo and Staff Sgt. Aisha Harper, who both have a clinical background in nursing, worked within the ILSC’s Logistics and Technical Support Directorate to help establish processes and support the improvement of medical supply chain and maintenance operations in accordance with Army regulations and goals.
“AMLC was in need of clinicians to assist with this project, where we identified line items and reviewed stock lists to validate different types of medical materiel and how it could be used to support the force,” Harper said.
Traditionally, military treatment facilities and the different services have ordered medical equipment and supplies on their own to suit their individual needs. AMLC’s ILSC has been working to consolidate and streamline the medical supply catalog to improve overall asset visibility, increase readiness and reduce costs where possible.
“Essentially, we provided some of that clinical expertise to say, well, you have on this on hand and this serves the same function as this, so can it be used for that?” Harper explained. “Medical logisticians rely heavily on clinical personnel to determine if a product is interchangeable and suitable to meet the needs of the customer, avoid redundancy and unnecessary excess in stocked items and across the master medical catalog.”
In another area of AMLC, Capt. Vanessa Vasquez supported logistics and supply staff in developing compliance checklists and operating procedures in support of supply management programs and maintenance operations.
Vasquez said it was interesting to work at the headquarters level and see how the strategic level operates.
“It’s very new to me and I’m grateful for this opportunity and experience to work with the management specialists here at AMLC,” she said. “There was a big learning curve here, not working with any medical personnel or field units directly, but it was interesting to understand how AMLC’s work affects the entire medical enterprise.”
Comprised of six teams with different disciplines of expertise, the DET 7 program was developed to better align with modern defense strategies that focus on shaping the force and Army formations that are more integrated, agile and flexible.
Maj. Tanishia Greene, military deputy director for the ILSC, served as the primary planner and coordinator for the DET 7 Soldiers’ mission at AMLC. She underscored the value that the collaboration provided to an important ongoing ILSC initiative.
“Our Detachment 7 teammates have proven to be an invaluable asset to support not only our internal mission as the life cycle logistics manager for Class VIII, but also as we support the Army’s Medical Logistics in Campaigning initiative to curate the master medical catalog,” Greene said.
Kabbah credited Greene’s work in making this round of training with DET 7 a great success for all parties, adding that the program also brings reserve Soldiers into the fold on MEDLOG operations as the Army prepares for future conflicts.
“These reserve Soldiers are so crucial to our enterprise when we go to war,” he said. “Through this program, we’re building our bench, and it can’t be understated how important it is to have Soldiers who are trained and ready to fall in on our assets, such as our forward-positioned stock sites, and not miss a beat.
“This program is part of that puzzle to maintain high levels of medical readiness.”
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