WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army’s Logistics Career Management Directorate (Log CMD), part of the Army Civilian Career Management Activity (ACCMA), convened its annual planning board Aug. 5 to outline strategies for strengthening the civilian logistics workforce and ensuring readiness for future missions.
The virtual event brought together senior leaders from across the Army’s logistics enterprise under the theme “Future Civilian Readiness: Mission Focus for the Army.” The discussion aligned with the Secretary of Defense’s priorities to revive the warrior ethos, rebuild the force by matching threats to capabilities, and reinforce deterrence through homeland defense.
Participants were welcomed on behalf of Matthew Sannito, acting deputy administrative assistant to the Secretary of the Army and executive director of the Headquarters Support Agency, and Sam Burns, acting director of the Logistics Career Management Directorate.
Sannito opened the session by emphasizing the Army’s drive to become leaner and more agile, with a focus on modernization, technology integration and the implications for the civilian workforce. “The Army must remain adaptive and forward-looking, and that begins with investing in the people who sustain the mission every day,” Sannito said.
The board featured leaders and stakeholders from Headquarters, Department of the Army; Army Commands; Army Service Component Commands; and Direct Reporting Units. Their input underscored a shared commitment to advancing logistics talent, education and professional development in line with mission priorities.
“Our directorate realignment and workforce initiatives are designed to sharpen our focus on talent development,” Burns said. “By aligning our goals with the Army’s mission priorities, we are setting the stage for a stronger, more agile civilian logistics workforce ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges.”
Other speakers included Antoinette Williams, who outlined efforts through the Army Fellows program to recruit and develop new logistics talent while strengthening placement collaboration with commands. Rick Harney, director of the Department of Army Logistics Operations and Support, highlighted the role of Army Sustainment University in preparing the next generation of sustainment professionals.
Sannito emphasized initiatives to recruit, retain and empower top civilian logistics talent, while Carlos Neris demonstrated two new training tools: the Major Command Training Report, which enables real-time tracking of civilian training completion, and the Logistics Training Hub, which provides early visibility into upcoming development opportunities.
In response to leadership feedback, Log CMD will host a Logistics Strategic Summit in March 2026. The summit will bring together career field representatives to set training priorities for 2027, identify capability gaps and explore opportunities for innovation.
“Building and retaining top civilian talent ensures we can deliver the logistics support our warfighters depend on,” Burns said.
Organizers said the goal of the Logistics Strategic Summit is to create an agile, long-term training strategy that supports evolving mission requirements, strengthens operational readiness and empowers the Army’s civilian logistics workforce.
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