ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Time is running out, but the U.S. Army Sustainment Command is on track and prepared to take on the Lead Materiel Integrator initiative.
The Distribution Management Center, a key element of ASC, hosted Decision Support Tool training Jan. 4-6. This new software will help support action in the DMC's new LMI division. The purpose of the training was to ensure ASC's team is fully capable of taking over LMI functions from the Department of the Army G-8 on Feb. 15
The Logistics Support Activity (LOGSA) developed the Decision Support Tool Sourcing Module for Army Materiel and supplied the knowledge and training to members of the ASC team. Employing this new tool is part of a new approach in which a single manager will ensure Soldiers have the right equipment at the right time to accomplish their missions.
"We brought in 16 people to help train and we are hoping to show everyone how the Decision Support Tool works, how they can use it and the capabilities that are within it," said Brian Brown, chief of the Soldier Support Center at LOGSA. "This new tool will help benefit the entire LMI initiative."
The Department of the Army G-8 conducted a week-long mission rehearsal exercise last month, evaluating the skill set, as it is now, of the current LMI workforce. The outcome of this rehearsal certified ASC as fully trained on seven lines of operation by the Department of the Army G-8, the United States Army Forces Command and Army Materiel Command.
The seven lines of operation range from equipping Army Force Generation units to sourcing approved actions. This means LMI will be responsible for synchronizing, recommending, executing and tracking distribution and redistribution of materiel sourcing solutions. In other words, LMI is responsible for making sure Soldiers in the field have the equipment they need to get the job done.
"We don't do anything by ourselves; everybody knows that," said Col. Victor Harmon, DMC commander. "It's a team that puts all this together and now is our time to get in here and ask questions on things that don't make sense, now that we have [LOGSA] folks here who can assist us with our transition."
Col. Robert P. Sullivan, commander of LOGSA, briefed ASC senior leaders on the progress of the training and provided a demonstration for Maj. Gen. Patricia McQuistion, ASC commanding general.
"What we found we were doing is we were actually shooting behind the duck," said Sullivan. "In other words, we have a tendency in our Army to just work as hard as we can and use brute force to knock it out just at the right time, but what we should be doing is projecting out to make sure we are leading the process."
Sullivan said DST will enable prediction of what to expect into the future, so planning can take place a few years out. Sullivan added that, over time, DST could be used to predict behaviors and actually do proper modeling of how the equipping process is responding to the needs of the Army.
"This tool will help change the way we do equipping sourcing and really get equipment sourcing integrated across the Army," said Brown. "The way we do it now, I just think we can do it better."
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