REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Army Materiel Command leaders set the strategic vision and way ahead for the Army Sustainment Enterprise to become more agile and modernized during the AMC Commander’s Forum, April 7-8.
“I’ve never seen a busier time in our world and for our Army. We are experiencing seismic shifts across the service and the people in this room are helping drive many of those,” AMC’s Commanding General and Army Senior Sustainer Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan said. "But the only constant is change, and our sustainment enterprise must continue to evolve to meet the challenges ahead.”
Mohan set the stage for the two-day discussion by highlighting the command's three core priorities: Delivering Ready Combat Formations, Reimagining the Organic Industrial Base, and Enhancing the Soldier Experience. Central to these efforts is the integration of data and artificial intelligence.
“We must go forward together, working systematically, to do what we need to do for the Army and our nation,” Mohan said. “We must double down on data and better utilize the tools available to us. We need to question every process to ensure we are doing what is right for our Soldiers.”
Across the three lines of effort, he underscored three areas of concern: continuing progress on Campus-Style Dining Venues; furthering the Army’s Advanced Manufacturing capabilities and advancing the parts qualification process; and all around changing the way the Army is doing business, to include spearheading the use of commercial industry best practices in military construction, repair and maintenance projects.
“What we have done with the Campus-Style Dining Venues is lights-out better than we’ve done before, and it’s up to us to continue that momentum and see this through because our Soldiers deserve it,” Mohan said about how the Army cut the ribbon on its first CSDV at Fort Hood, Texas, this year. The second CSDV will open April 15 at Fort Carson, Colorado, with planned expansion to several other installations.
Leaders opened the forum with a discussion on changes across the Army, laying out on the current environment and resourcing. During day two, AMC’s major subordinate commands each briefed their ongoing initiatives, challenges, risks and opportunities. A theme underpinning each brief was the incorporation of data and technology, not only to automate processes and improve visibility, but to increase user efficiency and provide decision support tools.
Liz Miranda, executive deputy to the commanding general, encouraged the commands to continue to be innovative and think outside the box.
“Continue to take those risks and let us know where there is an opportunity for AMC to help you drive an initiative and get them to implementation faster,” Miranda said.
The two-day event reinforced a singular vision of a more agile and innovative future for Army sustainment. The call to action from Mohan and AMC leaders was to continue to challenge the status quo, take calculated risks, and work collaboratively to ensure the Army's Soldiers remain the best-equipped and best-sustained fighting force in the world.