REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. - The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) headquarters personnel completed their move to the new USASAC headquarters building on Redstone Arsenal, Ala., at 4402 Martin Road on May 23. The move to building 4402 allows final consolidation of USASAC headquarters and personnel from the USASAC St. Louis, Mo., finance office in accordance with BRAC law.
“The Foreign Military Sales aspect of our mission means that many times the first encounter our international partners have with the U.S. Army is through USASAC. As the ‘Army’s Face to the World’ we make that first impression and this building helps with that impression " we’re a highly professional organization with cutting-edge technology and that is what this new building reflects,” Cliff Crivello, director of USASAC G1/G8 and USASAC’s lead for BRAC 2005 said.
The BRAC 2005 directed relocation and move to a new facility marks the first time in USASAC’s 46-year history that the command’s headquarters will be housed in a building specifically designed and built to accommodate its personnel. USASAC was located at Fort Belvoir, Va., until September 2009, when it became the first flag-level command to move to Redstone Arsenal as part of BRAC 2005.
“Support to our international partners was not affected by the relocation to the new facility,” Sgt. Maj. William Kaundart stated. “All employees reported to duty at building 4402 on May 23 and all phone numbers from the previous location (building 7613) remain unchanged.”
According to Kaundart, the smooth transition from the temporary headquarters to the new, state-of-the-art building was based on the simple Army concept of “planning, planning and more planning.”
Planning for the move began in 2010 and included employee tours last month that allowed the workforce to visit the new building, get their badges keyed for access and have their laptop computers mapped for printers. The move to the three-floor building was phased by floor location, with employees moving to their assigned floor each week. Boxes were picked up on the Friday prior and employees took their laptops home on the weekend. On each Monday, starting May 9, employees would report to the new building with their laptop, plug it in and begin working.
“I’m extremely proud of the USASAC Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G6 team that worked in partnership with the Network Enterprise Center " Redstone (NEC-R) to ensure that computer operations and communications were completed and as seamless as possible,” Robert Brown, director, USASAC CIO/G6 said.
The old saying, “Home is where the heart is,” seems to describe how USASAC personnel feel about their new headquarters building on Redstone Arsenal’s Martin Road. But instead of the traditional sentiment, “Home is where the technology is,” might better describe how employees feel about the various moves that have been a part of the BRAC. “Physical location is no longer a barrier to quick and easy communication. USASAC, in this new building, is already moving beyond traditional business computers to business devices that the younger generation is proficient with. Laptops, iPads, Blackberrys, iPhones, etc… The future business devices will be the same that USASAC personnel use at home,” Brown stated.
USASAC’s role in developing and managing security assistance programs and Foreign Military Sales for the U.S. Army means a global customer base, so employees are used to communicating with their customers and partners in a less traditional setting. The location is less important than state-of-the-art technology, and in that respect, building 4402 is the perfect location.
“We’ve laid the foundation for cost effective global visual communication through the Video Teleconferencing (VTC) capability in this building. We’ve implemented nine medium to large VTC conference rooms and more than 15 small VTC offices,” Brown stated. And according to Brown the expansion from three VTC rooms at the temporary headquarters at building 7613 to 24 in the new building ensures all USASAC personnel now have access to VTC communication to conduct the USASAC mission and the use of VTCs saves on travel costs.
Another improvement and efficiency that came with the new building was security. Security features include contract guard personnel on duty 24 hours a day, controlled access, automatic locking doors and numerous secured/classified areas.
“We quadrupled the number of secure areas we have. Our temporary building had only one secure/classified area, and now we have five,” Ed Reyes, director, USASAC G2 said.
USASAC will complete its BRAC directed transfer in July. Its relocation to Redstone Arsenal keeps it in close proximity to Headquarters, Army Materiel Command, its major command, and Army security assistance enterprise partners such as AMCOM and the Program Executive Office (PEO)/Program Manager (PM) community.
“Redstone is the right place at the right time for USASAC. The number one advantage is the people living and working at Redstone Arsenal,” Brown added.
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