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By Paul Levesque, ASC Public Affairs
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – Twice during 2021 – once in the spring and once in the fall – Gen. Ed Daly, who now serves as commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, made in-person visits to Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois.
Daly is no stranger to RIA, having previously served here as commanding general of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, which is headquartered on the installation. But statements he made during the visit indicate he’s gained a greater appreciation for the importance of ASC’s mission and the contributions which the command makes to the Army’s overall readiness.
“I really love coming back to ASC,” Daly said during an Oct. 27 visit to command headquarters. “You have great people here, and I really appreciate all you do for the Army. You truly are making your mark and having a positive impact at every level.”
During his visit to ASC on April 22, Daly spoke about the positive feedback he’d received regarding ASC during his interactions with commanders in the field and with the Army’s top leadership.
“ASC is doing spectacular work out in the battlespace,” Daly said. “It’s refreshing to hear what the combatant commanders have to say about what you do for them.”
Daly also reported similar praise for ASC he heard during a meeting held just the day before with the Army chief of staff and other senior leaders.
“When I talked about what you were doing for the Army, what I heard back was unbelievably positive,” Daly said. “You’re doing an absolutely fantastic job.”
As Daly surely knows, but was reminded of during his visits, ASC essentially serves as the connection between units in the field and the materiel enterprise managed overall by AMC. ASC primarily carries out this mission through seven Army Field Support Brigades based at major installations in the United States and strategic locations overseas.
Commanders can go through ASC’s brigades to access the full range of logistics and sustainment services offered by AMC. Each brigade also links to the field through subordinate Army Field Support Battalions located at all major installations and sites, and through a network of more than 70 Logistics Readiness Centers offering a variety of services at the installation level.
No official visit is complete without a briefing, and Daly received briefings during both visits led by the ASC commanding general. Updates were also provided by other ASC leaders, including brigade commanders in the field who attended via virtual connection.
Both briefings covered a broad range of subjects and gave an overview of ASC’s mission and current operations, as well as where the command might be headed in the future. They also served as a snapshot of ASC’s accomplishments during 2021, a year that saw a slow but uneven return to a “new normal” in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
One topic discussed at the briefings was ASC’s work in establishing 14 Modernization Displacement and Repair Sites. An MDRS serves as a “one-stop shop” where units can easily turn in their excess equipment. ASC can then dispose of the equipment, either by divesting of it or performing lateral transfers to other units that may have a use for it.
Getting rid of the old makes room for the new, and Daly learned how the MDRS disposal process is speeding modernization by providing combat units with the time and space needed to take on newer, more advanced weapons and materiel.
Daly was also briefed on ASC’s management of Army Prepositioned Stocks and how the APS strategy aligns with the nation’s overall military strategy. Through APS, stocks of weapons and equipment are maintained in strategic locations around the globe and aboard ships; combat units can then draw from APS if and when they are deployed to a particular region.
Another ASC mission area covered in both briefings was the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, commonly known as LOGCAP. Under this multibillion- dollar program, contractors are used to provide support services in forward deployed areas and other locations.
ASC made unique use of its LOGCAP expertise early in 2021 when the command employed contractors to rapidly set up trailers across the nation that were used in clinical trials during the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
In recent years, ASC’s mission has expanded to include areas impacting the quality of life for Soldiers and their families. The command now manages the movement of household goods and also has a role in managing and maintaining dining facilities.
Daly and others attending the briefings learned how ASC is hiring more household goods inspectors and how the command is trying to improve dining facilities and the delivery of food services, sometimes by sending food trucks to where the Soldiers are.
You need the right people to perform any mission effectively, and ASC in 2021 tried to recruit and retain the right people through initiatives such as Project Inclusion, a holistic command-wide effort to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion at all locations and among all ranks, grades and levels.
Daly was briefed on how ASC is using programs such as Journey to Leadership to enhance training and promotion opportunities. Projects developed by JTL participants have also enabled ASC to identify barriers to advancement and to find ways to rid the workplace of harassment and discrimination.
Rock Island Arsenal enjoys a strong and healthy relationship with the surrounding Quad Cites community, and Daly was happy to learn that the community relations program managed by ASC when he led the command is still going strong.
It doesn’t take a four-star general to recognize the importance of ASC or to grasp the scale and impact of the command’s mission. The photos accompanying this item will give you a look at where the Army Sustainment Command stood in 2021, and how it’s preparing itself for a future that is sure to hold some challenges and surprises.
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2021 15:52 |
| Story ID: | 410920 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 224 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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