The right equipment, the right place, the right time

By Ms Cherish Washington (AMC)September 16, 2011

Ammunition inspection
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Maintenance
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Equipment delivery
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. --Receiving the right equipment, at the right time and at the place is now easier with the U.S. Army Materiel Command refining the Lead Materiel Integration process.

On February 15, 2012, the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, a major subordinate command of AMC, will begin integration into training schedules and filling equipment shortages.

Units previously had to coordinate with multiple Army organizations to determine how to fill equipment shortages for training and deployment.

"Commanders will have better visibility of where the equipment is and we should be able to fill their gaps a lot sooner. The overall goal of the LMI is sending the right equipment to the right place at the right time. By having overall visibility of the process and having the process mapped out, you have the ability to make intelligent decisions to accurately equip the Soldier. This reduces excesses in one place and shortages in the other. That's the goal of the LMI," Terrance Wilson, deputy deployment director and Lean Six Sigma team lead said.

"For the Soldier, it is tough to train on equipment you don't have. It is my goal to make sure that your commander not only understands the equipment that he has, understands when the new equipment is coming so this way he can better prepare you and better build out his training plan," said Wilson.

The process begins when Forces Command identifies equipment needs. Those needs are then sent to AMC to fill shortages.

"My branch provides sourcing solutions to units in the field who have equipment shortages for whatever reason. Whether the equipment is needed due to battle loss or they pull it into the RESET program, if the unit needs equipment they come to us for a sourcing solutions," said Maj. Christopher Aker, branch chief materiel integration branch.

Aker explained sourcing solutions will integrate into the requesting unit's training system to ensure the equipment is available when the unit has the personnel to handle and train with it.

The integration branch works directly with AMC's life cycle management commands to provide equipment to the unit.

AMC's life cycle management commands include: Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command; Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command; Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command; TACOM Life Cycle Management Command.

"It's efficiency, it's reducing redundancy throughout the Army," Aker said. "The Army is attempting to insert efficiency into the program to speed up the process of getting equipment into the hand of the Soldier.

Related Links:

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