A Month with USAFMSA: Documenting and Supporting the Force

THE PENTAGON, DC, UNITED STATES

02.12.2015

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Career Program 26

By: Brittany Armstrong
CP26 Intern Class of 2013-2015

**Raised in Georgia, Brittany Armstrong joined the Army as a Healthcare Specialist (68W) shortly after receiving her BS in Political Science. Brittany served several years, stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado with 2BCT 4ID. Upon her discharge, she worked at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany where her husband was stationed. Brittany worked as a Patient Administration Assistant to include becoming the secondary Casualty Affairs Officer and secondary Line of Duty Investigator for the Army Reserve Liaison in Germany. Upon moving back to the states, Brittany was hired as a CP26 intern in September 2013 as a member of the CP26 Proponency Office staff. She also has a MS in Political Science and will receive her Masters in Strategic Public Relations from the George Washington University School of Political Management in May 2015. Brittany has been married over 5 years and has one child.**

Everything within the Army is built upon a requirement; therefore, clear definition and scope of a requirement is critical for success at the Force Management Support Agency (FMSA). I was fortunate to spend a month with FMSA in November 2014, my first rotation. The Chief, FMSA Operations Division, Mr. Chris Garito, was my rotational supervisor and he went out of his way to ensure that I had time with each division at FMSA on Fort Belvoir.

Multiple individuals told me that it could take up to two years to be completely up-to-speed with FMSA systems. This was clear with each meeting I sat in on and each conversation I had within the organization. Automation is very important at FMSA. I learned that working at FMSA requires a person to know the system/application so that if there is an error, it is apparent whether it is a user error or an automation error. With so many documents, codes, and rules for alphanumeric coding, it makes sense that FMSA would be so driven by automation necessitating the utmost attention to detail.

The Business Rules and How-to-Guides are incredibly helpful and show systematic instructions on how to sift through documents and extract data. Those within FMSA work inside the Force Management System (FMS). This is the system used internally to build and edit documents. The level of detail involved and coordination needed to properly execute the tasks required to successfully build a document within FMS and FMS TDA is monumental. There is a wealth of knowledge within each branch I visited during my rotation.

It was immediately apparent that each employee is required to be a subject matter expert (SME) in their respective field(s) whether it be Tables of Distribution and Allowances (TDAs), Basis of Issue Plans (BOIPs), Modified Tables of Equipment (MTOEs), etc. The Deputy Director of FMSA, Col. Keith Rivers emphasizes the “S” in FMSA. The organization is there to Support as the documentation happens for the commands and for the Army.

Because of the complexity of the systems and what they are used for, strategic thinking is very important for this organization. FMSA employees must learn to think about the second and third order effects of their actions and decisions. Understanding how to react and what is or is not appropriate enables each Subject Matter Expert (SME) to understand his/her own lane, but understand that other things can and will affect their actions, decisions, and area of expertise from time to time.

I absorbed a great deal of information during my month at FMSA, but I also understand that I barely scratched the surface of the intricate work done at the organization. FMSA has great knowledge and works for a big Army. Attention to detail and teamwork is paramount to its success. I was often told that FMSA operates as both art (TDA Documentation) and science (MTOE Documentation). No matter which side of the house a person works in at FMSA, they must be clued in to every step of the requirement and resource processes from Concept Plans and Total Army Analysis to Joint Manpower and Personnel, and Basis of Issue Plans. These all require an attention to detail from each Document Integrator, Programmer, and Operations Support Specialist at the organization.

In addition to the wealth of knowledge contained within the organization, FMSA is also an organization dedicated to its employees. I sat in on various meetings with individuals from FMSA at Fort Lee and Fort Leavenworth on a wide variety of topics Updates to Col. Rivers included project milestones as well as professional development opportunities for employees of the organization. Col. Rivers’ dedication to nurturing a positive environment at all three FMSA locations was evident immediately and echoed by the employees at Fort Belvoir.

I found that my best tools during my rotation were my eyes, ears and pen. I was fortunate to watch several individuals navigate through FMS and FMSWeb every day. I took many notes, which I would take back to my desk and research for further clarification that led to more in depth conversations with my hosts. I sat in on many meetings and was able to grasp so much information from the conversations held between branches and divisions that I doubt I would have had such an overwhelming positive experience without them. These meetings provided me with an opportunity to observe the intricacies involved in decision making and allowed me to hear various opinions and expertise from FMSA SMEs.

The Tactical Signal Branch, under the direction of Branch Chief Rhonda Miller, was especially beneficial. Ms. Miller and her colleagues allowed me to work on multi-year MTOE compares during the last days of my rotation with FMSA. As this is not work I am used to doing as a member of the CP26 Proponency Office staff, I certainly had questions, and Ms. Miller’s team was anxious to assist me in whatever I needed. Getting my hands on a project was invaluable as it served as a kind of capstone to my rotation. I was able to incorporate a multitude of lessons learned during my rotation and present my work to Ms. Miller’s team as though I was a FMSA employee.

I have the utmost in gratitude for each FMSA employee that offered their time and experience to me in the form of lessons on document integration, programming, the Global Force Management Data Initiative, and many other subjects. This was a perfect way to begin my second year; I thank Col. Rivers, Mr. Garito and each member of the FMSA team.

• Date Taken: 02.12.2015
• Date Posted: 02.19.2015 09:41
• Story ID: 154846
• Location: THE PENTAGON, DC, US
• Hometown: LANDSTUHL, RP, DE
• Hometown: ATLANTA, GA, US
• Hometown: FORT CARSON, CO, US
• Hometown: FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VA, US
• Hometown: FORT LEAVENWORTH, KS, US