Army Sustainment Command adds installation logistics to its menu

By Mr. Charles Fick (AMC)November 15, 2010

Piece o' cake
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Hegel Hernandez serves up cake at the Logistics Support Area Bragg-East Consolidated Dining Facility, Fort Bragg, N.C. Dining facilities are just one element of the installation logistics mission now under the operational control of Army Sustain... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Good nutrition
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Christopher Williams, 18th Human Resources Company, prepares vegetables at the Logistics Support Area Bragg-East Consolidated Dining Facility, Fort Bragg, N.C. The DFAC is just one facet of installation logistics now under the operational contro... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fully stocked
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service with a smile
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Rachel Degenhard, 659th Maintenance Company, dishes up a hot sandwich to a lunch patron at the Logistics Support Area Bragg-East Consolidated Dining Facility, Fort Bragg, N.C. Beside her, Spc. Edward Gonzalez, 364th Quartermaster Company, serves... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Hot off the grill
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Grilling burgers at the Logistics Support Area Bragg-East Consolidated Dining Facility, Fort Bragg, N.C., Spc. Steven Juluson is one of the foot Soldiers of the Materiel Enterprise. Army Sustainment Command has taken operational control of installati... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Army Sustainment Command has added cheeseburgers, salads and, yes, even some hot apple pie to its menu of missions.

Operational control of stateside Directorates of Logistics shifted from Installation Management Command to Army Materiel Command on Oct. 1. AMC handed over responsibility for management and oversight of the installation logistics mission to Army Sustainment Command, headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.

"It is a win-win situation," said David Peralta, chief of IMCOM G-4 plans and operations. AMC, he explained, is bringing its logistics expertise to the DOL mission, enabling IMCOM to "concentrate on its core mission - providing the best facilities and services to support Soldiers, Families and civilians on our installations."

The transition is meant to be transparent to the supported forces, a goal that's being met at the Logistics Support Area Bragg - East Consolidated Dining Facility.

"It's business as usual," said Sgt. 1st Class Juan Rodriguez, an 82nd Sustainment Brigade Soldier and manager of the two-year-old, $40-million facility. "We're serving the same high-quality meals to Soldiers, even if change is taking place at higher echelons."

Dishing up 700 meals every day is a challenging and crucial job for the 35 Soldiers and civilians working at the DFAC.

"We serve airborne Soldiers, so we need to be at our best at all times," said Rodriguez. "What we do is an important part of sustaining readiness and morale."

The DFAC and other DOL functions here are part of the array of services controlled by Army Field Support Battalion - Fort Bragg, one of four battalions comprising the 406th Army Field Support Brigade.

"We'll have some growing pains integrating DOL activities into our mission set, but we're the right people for the job," said George Quinn, deputy to the commander of the 406th AFSB, headquartered at Fort Bragg.

Over at the DFAC, the manager echoes Quinn's observation.

"Two of my main concerns, supplies and equipment, are logistics issues," said Rodriguez. "Knowing that logisticians are managing these functions gives me confidence."

"What we have here is a ground-level example of the Materiel Enterprise at work." Quinn noted. "Shifting command and control of installation logistics to ASC and its global network of brigades and battalions makes good sense; it's an enterprise solution that takes care of Soldiers and their Families."

Whether it bullets or beans, in garrison or on the battlefield, Army Sustainment Command is "On the Line" with the Soldiers it serves.