The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), released by the Department of Defense (DOD) in February, is the first QDR to make current conflicts the priority of budgeting, policy, and programming efforts. The QDR, which covers fiscal years 2011 to 2015, seeks to further rebalance the force and reform DOD’s institutions and processes to better support the urgent needs of the warfighter. DOD also wants to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and that new weapons are usable, affordable, and truly needed.

The QDR addresses the importance of preserving, enhancing, and equipping the All-Volunteer Force and the civilian workforce supporting it. DOD plans to expand its Civilian Expeditionary Workforce to augment military efforts, concentrate on the mental and physical health of all its forces, and make the way DOD equips those forces a priority for improvement.

DOD plans to institutionalize rapid acquisition capabilities without “sacrificing cost and schedule for promises of improved performance.” Efforts to improve the Cold War-era U.S. export control system, which is “hindering U.S. industrial competitiveness,” and rapid logistics support to forces abroad are also priorities.

DOD also plans to “work to reduce the number of support service contractors, in an effort to establish a balanced workforce that appropriately aligns functions to the public and private sector.” With the reduction in the number and type of contractors on the battlefield comes an effort to reduce the cost of contracts. DOD will begin to employ fixed-price development contracts more frequently, constrain the tendency to add program requirements through configuration steering boards, and better link the contract fee structure to performance.

On the acquisition side, DOD plans to add and train 20,000 personnel by 2015 to address shortfalls in contract oversight. DOD will create 9,000 new positions and convert 11,000 contract positions to Government positions. DOD will also be increasing its reliance on independent cost analysis “to ensure that decisions on acquisition and logistics programs are based on the most realistic cost estimates possible.” The creation of new programs will also undergo tough scrutiny to ensure that the best alternatives with the fewest risks are selected.

Army Contracting Headquarters Units to Move From Virginia to Alabama

The Army Contracting Command and Expeditionary Contracting Command headquarters will move from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, by August 2011, resulting in the reassignment of 79 Soldiers and 234 civilians.

Both commands will colocate with the Army Materiel Command and the Army Security Assistance Command, which will also move to Redstone Arsenal.

New Armament Research and Development Complex Is Under Construction

The Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) is in the midst of developing a Fuze Engineering Complex, which will be located at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. The complex is being built in response to a 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommendation to establish a joint center of excellence for guns, weapons, and ammunition research by bringing together elements currently located at Adelphi, Maryland, under the same roof as other Fuze Division elements.

The $18 million complex includes renovations of current buildings that will be used as office space. Two new research facilities will also be constructed: one for fuze explosive research and the other for fuze electromagnetic research. Two ammunition storage bunkers are also being built, and some of the unit’s anechoic (sound absorbent) chamber space will also be renovated. The facility is expected to be completed by October 2011.

A water purification specialist from the 82d Water Detachment, 16th Quartermaster Company, 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, provides fresh water in Haiti. (Photo by SPC A.M. LaVey)

Sustainment Soldiers Support Humanitarian Aid Operations in Haiti Sustainment Soldiers from across the Army have been providing earthquake victims in Haiti with food, water, and other logistics support as part of Operation Unified Response. Eight personnel from the rapid port opening elements of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command deployed from Fort Eustis, Virginia, and arrived 2 days after the earthquake as part of a U.S. Transportation Command team to identify which transportation and logistics capabilities would best support the relief. Fort Bragg, North Carolina, initially deployed 896 Soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82d Airborne Division (Air Assault), and other units to provide humanitarian support to survivors. In less than a week, these Soldiers delivered 54,738 pounds of supplies and equipment, including 3,600 gallons of bottled water and 14,400 meals ready-to-eat. Overall, Fort Bragg is expected to deploy as many as 3,000 Soldiers to Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response. The 3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) (ESC) from Fort Knox, Kentucky, had key leaders on the ground within days of the earthquake and sent over half of the ESC over the course of a month to be part of Joint Logistics Command-Haiti. The first group of 3d ESC Soldiers worked with the Navy and Coast Guard to reopen Haiti’s main port, established two logistics hubs away from the airport, and planned for a 2-week United Nations World Food Program surge operation. The 7th Sustainment Brigade has since joined the ESC, as have a number of logistics units from across the services. The 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 49th Quartermaster Group, from Fort Lee, Virginia, joined these units in early February. The 49th Quartermaster Group is providing mortuary affairs support to Joint Task Force-Haiti and water purification and distribution, fuel storage and distribution, and logistics support to the World Food Program. The 49th Group Soldiers will remain in Haiti at least through August.

Soldiers of the 331st Transportation Company, 24th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade, 3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), assemble causeway sections to facilitate the loading of equipment onto ships prior to departing for Haiti. (Photo by SFC Kelly Jo Bridgwater, 7th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs)

Parachute riggers from the 11th Quartermaster Company, 189th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 82d Sustainment Brigade, prepare container delivery system bundles for delivery in support of Operation Unified Response. (Photo by SPC A.M. LaVey)

TARDEC Constructing New Vehicle Research and Development Facility

The Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) is building the Ground System Power and Energy Laboratory (GSPEL) at Detroit Arsenal, Michigan. GSPEL will be a 30,000-square-foot complex housing eight laboratories dedicated to the research and development, modeling, and testing of ground vehicles of all sizes and their individual components. GSPEL also will provide facilities to simulate a wide variety of environmental conditions—extreme temperatures, humidity, and solar conditions—in which to test manned and unmanned ground vehicles.

GSPEL will be the cornerstone of the Army’s next generation of power and energy initiatives and will include laboratories for research and development of hybrid-electric vehicles, fuel cells, alternative fuel and propulsion systems, critical combat vehicle fuel efficiency, auxiliary power, and field sustainability.

TARDEC worked with the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, to develop the demanding equipment and facility specifications for the complex. GSPEL is expected to be completed by late 2011.

Sustainment Center of Excellence Named TRADOC Institute of Excellence

The Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) named the Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE) at Fort Lee, Virginia, an Institute of Excellence on 17 February. The SCoE is the first TRADOC Center of Excellence to earn the designation. Lieutenant General David P. Valcourt, deputy commanding general of TRADOC, presented the award to Major General James E. Chambers, commanding general of the Army Combined Arms Support Command and SCoE, for the organization’s Institute of Excellence accreditation ratings in doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, personnel, and facilities.

The Institute of Excellence award recognizes organizations that have excelled in internal evaluation, external evaluation, and accreditation. Given that the second two areas are hard to achieve without proper internal evaluation, the quality assurance teams within the SCoE played key roles in preparing the institution for success. They were also responsible for preparing the SCoE’s subordinate organizations, 11 of which achieved “Institute of Excellence” ratings for the September 2008 to January 2010 accreditation year.

RECENTLY PUBLISHED A Leader Development Strategy for the 21st Century seeks to balance the demands of the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) model with the educational demands of the force by better aligning timelines for courses and key developmental positions with the deployment cycle. The strategy was developed using lessons learned from ongoing conflicts, assessments of the future operational environment, the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Green Book article, “The Army of the 21st Century,” and Field Manual 3–0, Operations. In the strategy, the Chief of Staff establishes eight imperatives to integrate policies, programs, and initiatives “to develop leaders with the required qualities and enduring leader characteristics.” The imperatives highlight the need to— Encourage an equal commitment by the Army institution, leaders, and individual civilian and military personnel to life-long learning and development. Balance commitment to the training, education, and experience pillars of development. Use outcome-based training and education to prepare leaders for hybrid threats and full-spectrum operations. Achieve balance and predictability in personnel policies and professional military education in support of ARFORGEN. Manage the Army’s military and civilian talent to benefit both the institution and the individual. Prepare leaders by replicating the complexity of the operational environment in the classroom and at home station. Produce leaders who are mentors and who are committed to developing their subordinates. Prepare selected leaders for responsibility at the national level. The imperatives will guide further changes in leader development and ensure that the Army is able to develop the agile leaders needed to make decisions in an ever-changing environment.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS Sustainment Symposium and Exposition The Association of the United States Army will hold its Institute of Land Warfare Sustainment Symposium and Exposition from 22 to 24 June at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia. For more information or to register, visit www.ausa.org. International Defence Logistics and Support 2010 International Defence Logistics and Support 2010 will be held 29 June to 2 July at the Hotel Le Plaza in Brussels, Belgium. The conference brings together over 200 of the most senior logistics professionals across Europe to discuss the challenges and successes of joint logistics. The conference will begin with a contracted logistics support focus day. Other topics include logistics in Afghanistan, improving your logistics footprint in theater, and working with coalition partners to provide sustainable and reliable logistics support. The conference will also hold sessions about devising a drawdown strategy and meeting cost-cutting requirements without compromising logistics capabilities. The conference is designed for supply-chain, procurement, acquisition, defense materiel, and data management professionals as well as project team leaders and senior operational logisticians. For more information or to register, visit the conference website at www.defencelog.com, call +44 (0) 207–368–9465, or email defencelogistics@wbr.co.uk.