Attendees at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in October heard the Army’s leaders describe an Army that continues to transform to meet the demands of future challenge even as it pursues a global war against terrorists. As the Army’s Chief of Staff, General George W. Casey, Jr., observed, in a time of “persistent conflict . . . the Army will remain central to any national strategy to ensure our security and . . . we need versatile and agile forces that can rapidly adapt to unexpected circumstances.”

General Casey noted that the need “to rebalance the Army” will be accomplished by following the imperatives of sustain, prepare, reset, and transform. But he cautioned, “We must do that [rebalance] while we are at war, and it will not be easy. . . . Implementing these imperatives will require several years, considerable resources, and sustained commitment by Congress and the American people.”

The imperative to reset is dictated by heavy wartime demands. Since the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003—

ARMY RAIL UNITS BEGIN EXERCISES

The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) has begun a multiyear exercise program designed to provide the Army’s only rail unit, the 757th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion, an opportunity train with its four companies as an integrated unit. The exercises, known as Rail Train, are conducted at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

Before Rail Train, the 757th was not able to conduct a command and control exercise involving its companies in a field environment. The assets available at Fort Eustis allow battalion personnel to train in locomotive operations, locomotive and railcar repair and maintenance, and railway track maintenance. Rail Train involves unit training, certification of individual skills, and a field training exercise at the forward operating base at Fort Eustis.

The 757th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion is an Army Reserve unit located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its companies are the 226th Transportation Railway Operating Company (TROC) in Massachusetts; the 1150th TROC at Fort Sheridan, Illinois; the 1151st TROC at Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, North Carolina, and Blue Grass Army Depot, Kentucky; and the 1152d TROC in Milwaukee.

ARMY RECEIVES 12 SHINGO AWARDS

Seven Army Materiel Command (AMC) activities received Shingo Public Sector Award for Excellence in Manufacturing Achievement prizes in October. Considered the “Nobel Prize of manufacturing,” the Shingo Prize promotes awareness of Lean manufacturing concepts and recognizes excellence in manufacturing.

Shingo Hall of Fame status was awarded to General Benjamin S. Griffin, AMC Commander, recognizing his leadership in guiding the Army toward the challenges of a new century while improving the manner in which the Army does business at its depots.
Gold Prize recipients were—

Silver Prize recipients were—

Bronze Prize recipients were—

PRODUCTION OF NEW HEMTT BEGINS

Oshkosh Truck Corporation began production of a new model of the heavy expanded mobility tactical truck (HEMTT) called the A4 in November. The variants under the contract include the load-handling system, the cargo vehicle, and the fuel servicing truck (tanker). The Army began testing the HEMTT A4 in June 2006, operating the test vehicles for up to 45,000 miles.

Technological advances of the HEMTT A4 will help make Soldiers more mobile and keep them better protected. This new model of HEMTT has more horsepower and torque, improved suspension, integrated armor protection, and additional armor attached. The HEMTT A4 shares common cab, parts, and support with the Oshkosh Truck palletized load system (PLS) A1, reducing the logistics footprint.

The $207.6 million contract calls for the Army to receive 526 HEMTT A4s.

Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan personnel have packed and loaded more than 1 million pounds of cargo during their first 5 months of deployment. The average pallet weighs about 1,600 pounds. Poor quality and extremely dangerous roads make the use of convoys for logistics support difficult. The airdrops provide support to personnel at forward operating bases, many of which are in remote locations and at high elevations. The riggers also prepare humanitarian relief packages dropped to civil affairs teams in the field. In the photo, Special Operations riggers check cargo in a plane at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, before an aerial delivery mission.

COMBAT SUPPORT BRIGADE (MANEUVER ENHANCEMENT)
DEBUTS IN ACTIVE ARMY

The first Active Army combat support brigade (maneuver enhancement) was activated at Fort Polk, Louisiana, on 2 October. This new unit—the 1st Combat Support Brigade (Maneuver Enhancement)—will be one of 23 combat support brigades (maneuver enhancement) [CSBs (ME)] the Army plans to create, with 4 in the Active Army, 16 in the Army National Guard, and 3 in the Army Reserve.

The new organization is one of five types of multifunctional support brigades that will be established under the transformation to the modular force. The others are the sustainment brigade, battlefield surveillance brigade, combat aviation brigade, and fires brigade.

The CSB (ME) is designed to provide maneuver support to combat forces. Its force structure will be tailored to meet mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and support available, time available, and civil considerations (METT–TC) requirements. Its organic structure includes a headquarters and headquarters company, a signal company, and a brigade support battalion with a support maintenance company and a distribution company. Other units, such as military police, engineer, signal, chemical, explosive ordnance disposal, and civil affairs, will be assigned or attached to, or placed under the operational control of, the CSB (ME) as needed.

The tailored CSB (ME) will act as a command and control element for a number of tasks—some usually performed at the division level—including such tasks as rear area operations, terrain and airspace management, force and convoy route protection, infrastructure development, and force mobility assurance.

DLA RELOCATES EUROPEAN OFFICES

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is relocating several of its activities in Europe to a consolidated facility in Germany. This relocation will collocate DLA logistics services and headquarters activities to better support U.S. military forces while reducing costs.

The DLA Regional Command Europe, Defense Energy Support Center Europe, Document Automation and Production Service Europe, Information Operations Europe, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (Forward Support Team), DLA Office of Investigations Europe, and DLA Enterprise Support Europe will move to the Kaiserslautern Military Community from Wiesbaden. Defense Supply Center Philadelphia European Region, located in Mainz- Kastel, also will move to Kaiserslautern.

The relocations will place DLA offices at the center of the European logistics hub.

JOINT QUALIFICATION SYSTEM
REPLACES JOINT SPECIALTY OFFICER SYSTEM

A new system for earning points to become a joint qualified officer, the Joint Qualification System (JQS), offers more flexibility in recognizing an officer’s joint experience. The JQS, which has replaced the Joint Specialty Officer System (JSOS), allows officers to count time spent on assignments working in joint environments toward their total joint-qualification points.

Under the JSOS, an officer could only become joint qualified by completing joint-education courses and being assigned to a validated joint-duty position for a specified period of time. The JQS recognizes all joint experiences, including contingency operations with non-government or other military forces. The new system still requires officers to complete joint qualification courses.

The JQS is divided into four levels based on how many points an officer has accrued. Officers must meet the following requirements for each level—

Level 1: Completion of basic officer courses with introductions to joint matters.
Level 2: Completion of the Joint Professional Military Education I (JPME I) course, the accrual of 18 joint-qualification points, and certification by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Level 3: Accrual of 36 joint-qualification points, completion of JPME II, and certification by the Secretary of Defense.
Level 4: Completion of the CAPSTONE general officers’ course and the accrual of 60 joint-qualification points.

An officer’s joint-qualification points are calculated by combining joint-education points, joint-experience points (based on the duration and intensity of the officer’s joint assignments), and other discretionary points, which are based on training, exercises, and education other than JPME.

Soldiers from the California National Guard use a ladder and a sawed-off traffic cone to fill sandbags. These sandbags were used to help prevent mudslides that could have resulted from the fires that devastated areas of Southern California in October. The Department of Defense teamed with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to help fight the fires that swept through Southern California. Over 2,700 National Guard Soldiers provided communications, security, evacuation, and air support to the firefighters in addition to filling sandbags.

CIVILIAN CORPS CHAMPION APPOINTED

Secretary of the Army Peter Geren appointed Deputy Undersecretary Thomas E. Kelly III as the Civilian Corps Champion in October. This appointment reinforces the Army’s commitment to recognizing the importance of the civilian force to the success of the Army. As the senior executive advocate for the Civilian Corps, Kelly will expedite Civilian Corps training transformation as he implements Army Initiative 5 (AI–5), Accelerate Leader Development. This appointment reflects the Army's commitment to meeting its responsibility to enable Civilians to achieve their full potential.

AI–5 is one of five initiatives that resulted from a review directed by General George W. Casey, Jr., shortly after he became Army Chief of Staff. Deputy Undersecretary Kelly co-chaired the AI–5 working group with General William S. Wallace, Commanding General of the Army Training and Doctrine Command. “It was our job to identify previously recommended actions that had languished for whatever reason and to get them ‘un-stuck,’ ” Deputy Undersecretary Kelly said.

AI–5 is based on Army Leaders for the 21st Century (AL21), an initiative to build leaders skilled in many disciplines and able to rapidly transition between complex tasks. AL21 addressed officer, noncommissioned officer, and civilian leaders. AI–5 extends that effort by finding efficient ways of accelerating Army leader development.
Other AI–5 recommendations include reviewing civilian management systems and increasing access to developmental opportunities beyond the Civilian Education System.

The designation of a Civilian Corps Champion will help the Army meet such objectives as supporting the National Security Personnel System, developing a "people tie" to the Strategic Readiness System, and integrating and strengthening relationships among officers, noncommissioned officers, and civilians.