by Major Jeffrey A. Hughes, USAR
In an army that increasingly relies on power projection to accomplish its goals, the installations from which power is projected become critical to military success. These installations are known as power projection platforms (PPP's), and there are 15 of them in the continental United States (CONUS). In a large-scale contingency, the PPP's will be augmented by 15 Army Reserve garrison support units (GSU's). While the GSU's play a crucial role in supporting the PPP's, they face a problem: they do not have standard organizational structures. As a result, their operations are inefficient, and each GSU's ability to support PPP's other than its assigned installation is reduced. This problem will only get worse, because the structure of the PPP's is being redesigned for Force XXI and the Army After Next (AAN). I believe that the GSU's of today do not have the proper structure to support the PPP's of tomorrow.
I have identified five possible solutions for standardizing GSU structures, which I will discuss in this article. But I recommend one of them as superior: organizing GSU's with the same structural template that has been designed for PPP installation garrisons under Force XXI and the AAN.
Structuring for Power Projection
During the Persian Gulf War, the responsibility for receiving reserve component units and processing them for deployment fell to installation garrisons, which remained on each installation after the active component forces based there had deployed. However, because of personnel downsizing, the garrisons did not have enough people to handle the demands made on them. So, following the war, PPP's were formed to correct this problem.
A PPP is an Army installation that supports the mobilization, deployment, redeployment, and demobilization of soldiers and their equipment and supplies. Army Reserve GSU's were organized solely to augment the PPP's. GSU's expand active and reserve component installation base operations (BASOPS) requirements during contingencies and assist in other installation missions during annual training sessions. A GSU's major capabilities include—
Organizing Army Reserve GSU's
An Army Reserve GSU is a table of distribution and allowances (TDA) unit. It mobilizes at its home station and then deploys to its assigned installation. Each GSU is tailored to serve a specific installation. Once it arrives at the installation, the GSU ceases to exist as its own TDA unit, and its structure reflects the installation's TDA. But by tailoring the structure of GSU's to that of installations, the terminology and core structure of GSU's have become inconsistent.
Research on GSU TDA's reveals that every GSU uses a different set of terms to describe its component sections and that every GSU has a different unit structure. Some GSU's have sections such as the arrival departure airfield control group (ADACG) and the directorate of personnel and community affairs, but others do not. This is a direct result of the function of GSU's to augment PPP garrisons. PPP installation garrisons are organized according to FM 100-22, Installation Management, which provides broad guidelines on garrison organizational structure and functional areas of responsibility. It gives a commander maximum flexibility to organize the garrison for the most efficient and effective management of BASOPS. Yet it also allows PPP's to have different structures based on these basic guidelines. To support PPP installation garrisons, GSU's therefore have had to adopt structures that parallel those of the PPP's.
The TDA's of the GSU's also show that GSU's have sections that perform the same tasks as their garrison equivalents but are called by different names. The GSU's often reflect terminology for sections and personnel that is used incorrectly at installation garrisons. Garrisons, according to FM 100-22, are to be organized with directorate staffs. Yet some installations continue to use terminology and sections associated with staff organizations as outlined in FM 101-5, Staff Organization and Operations. For example, PPP's sometimes use the wrong terminology and call the directorate of plans, training, and mobilization the S3 Section. In order for GSU's to augment those PPP's, their TDA's reflect this incorrect terminology.
These differences in GSU's cause confusion about the duties and responsibilities of various sections to support wartime or contingency missions. The Army uses standardized organizations to promote consistency in performance, responsibilities, training, and resources. Nonstandard organizational structures often are inefficient. The various PPP's often are unsure of the responsibilities of the sections within an associated GSU. Personnel within each GSU often are unsure of their own responsibilities to support the PPP and the responsibilities of personnel in other GSU's. Job descriptions for personnel are not standardized, so corresponding personnel in different GSU's cannot share information to assist each other, fill in for each other, or transfer positions.
Fort Benning, Georgia, offers a good example of these problems. Over the last 3 years, various GSU's have been tasked to augment and support Fort Benning. Fort Benning has sections in its PPP installation garrison that do not correspond to the sections in GSU's providing assistance. Personnel from various sections in the GSU must be tasked to provide temporary support to these noncorresponding PPP sections. Obviously this is very inefficient, as time is wasted delegating new assignments and training personnel in their new job tasks. During a deployment, time is of the essence. The Army of today, as a CONUS-based force, will not have the luxury to waste valuable time.
The only guidance to GSU's on their organizational structure has come from the U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC). In March 1997, the Army Forces Command established a GSU process action team to conduct a mobilization and deployment functional area assessment, identify deficiencies in GSU's, and make recommendations for improvements. Based on these recommendations, USARC in 1998 directed that all GSU's supporting a PPP will have three core elements: finance, military police, and staff judge advocate. These core functional area changes became effective in January 2000.
However, these recommendations alone are not enough to make GSU's more efficient. Finance, military police, and the staff judge advocate are only small portions of a GSU. I believe that the Army should direct GSU's to standardize their entire structure in order to support their wartime mission efficiently and augment the PPP's of Force XXI and the AAN properly. Let's examine five solutions that the Army might adopt for improving GSU organization.
Organization Based on PPP Directorate Staff
Today, some GSU's use the organization of the directorate staff. A possible solution to standardizing GSU organization, therefore, is to require the use of directorate staff organization for all GSU's. FM 100-22 states that the management focus at the installation level is to be the directorate staff. Directors are the key management officials. Their delegated authority varies from full operational control of functions, to supervision of offices that have some autonomy, to providing basic administrative support. Based on guidance from higher headquarters and the installation or garrison commander, directors are responsible for programs, budgeting, and mobilization missions dealing with the deployment of individuals and units.
At the installation, staffs are categorized by duties and functions and are called special, personal, or support activity staffs. The staff size and composition will vary by installation based on its mission. If all GSU's were to standardize their structures using the directorate staff model, the special staff of the GSU would include the inspector general, staff judge advocate, internal review and audit compliance officer, public affairs officer, equal employment opportunity officer, and installation chaplain. The support activity staff would include the directors of plans, training, and mobilization; counterintelligence and security; personnel and community affairs; public works; contracting; logistics; information management; resource management; and the provost marshal.
Organization Based on PPP Facilities
A second possible way to standardize GSU organization is to require that all GSU's organize their sections according to the facilities at their assigned PPP's. Organization based on PPP facilities is being used in part by some GSU's. Examples of this include the ammunition and range sections.
The problem with this concept is that the various PPP's have different capabilities. Some facilities, such as warehousing, are common among PPP's, but others, such as those used for transportation, are not standard. For instance, some PPP's have airfields, while others have ports or railroads and railheads. Some GSU's thus have ADACG's, while others have a port support activity or a rail and yards section.
Another problem with this design is the difficulty that GSU's experience in supporting PPP's other than their assigned installation. When a GSU organized according to facilities tries to augment a PPP other than its assigned installation, it must undertake a massive redelegation of duties. For instance, personnel who usually augment railroads at their assigned PPP have to be retasked or retrained to augment a different section of a new PPP if that new PPP does not have a railroad.
Organization Based on Mandated PPP Facilities
A third possible solution is to standardize only those areas of a GSU that are needed to support the facilities required by FM 100-17, Mobilization, Deployment, Redeployment, Demobilization. FM 100-17 directs that each installation must have the facilities to house, feed, train, and deploy assigned units. By standardizing the GSU into directorates that support these facilities, each GSU would retain the flexibility to augment and support each installation's unique characteristics. Such a GSU would consist of six directorates: training, maintenance, supply, transportation, administration, and billeting.
The training directorate would have training, range, operations, nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC), and security sections. The training section would review the training status of individuals and units. The range section would assist in predeployment weapons training and qualification. The operations section would be responsible for the overall operation of the mobilization unit inprocessing center (MUIC) and the mobilization operations center and the tracking of individuals and units as they process through those centers. The NBC section would assist in predeployment NBC training, and the security section would help in submitting and processing security requirements.
The maintenance directorate would have ammunition, weapons maintenance, and vehicle repair sections. The ammunition section would manage and operate the ammunition supply point. The weapons maintenance section would inspect and repair weapons of deploying individuals and units. The vehicle repair section would inspect and repair all deploying equipment, including wheeled and tracked vehicles.
The supply directorate would have the property control and central issue facility (CIF) sections. The property control section would be responsible for ensuring accountability of all individual and unit property. It also would review and cross-level assets to ensure that all units deployed with necessary equipment. The CIF section would be responsible for ensuring that each individual soldier deployed with the equipment he needed to support the operation.
The transportation directorate would have the unit movement and transportation sections. The unit movement section would be responsible for ensuring that all unit movement plans, including the Automated Unit Equipment List and the Deployment Equipment List, were updated in accordance with Army regulations. The transportation section would be responsible for ensuring that the transportation needs of all individuals and units were arranged and coordinated. This coordination would require planning for all movements in and around the installation, movements to various ports, and movements to training facilities throughout the training area.
The administration directorate would include the identification cards and tags, military pay, MUIC, soldier readiness processing (SRP), family support, and casualty assistance sections. The identification cards and tags and military pay sections would take care of the functions reflected in their names. The MUIC section would consist of administrative personnel provided to the MUIC (which is controlled by the operations section of the training directorate) to conduct an initial assessment of each individual or unit and determine their deployability. The SRP section would be responsible for the overall operation of the SRP center, which corrects personnel and equipment deficiencies of units and equipment deficiencies of individuals before they deploy. The family support section would be responsible for ensuring that family members receive the assistance they need before and during the deployment.
The billeting directorate would have operations, billeting, and supply sections. The operations section would schedule individuals and units in and out of housing and provide overall command and control of billeting. The billeting section would be responsible for assigning housing to deploying individuals and units. The supply section would issue linens and provide necessary supplies to housing facilities.
A GSU organized with these six directorates—training, maintenance, supply, transportation, administration, and billeting—would be required to have the sections listed for each directorate but would have the flexibility to add sections based on the needs of its assigned PPP. If the GSU was assigned to a host PPP that did not include one of its additional sections, that section, as a whole, would be reassigned to another area of need at the PPP.
Organization Based on Teams
A fourth possible solution is to create a team structure. Each team would have the capabilities of the entire GSU organization in miniature. Sections would be configured with personnel having the functional abilities listed in FM 100-22: training, maintenance, supply, transportation, administration, and billeting.
This structure would give GSU's the ability to send teams to augment and support installations without having to mobilize the entire GSU. Such a capability could expand the functions that GSU's could perform to help units improve their readiness. For example, teams from a GSU could be sent to units to conduct readiness assistance visits. These visits would determine and correct unit deficiencies, so that the units would be ready for deployment on a moment's notice. This would be invaluable to units with a latest arrival date of less than 30 days. A team structure, with personnel in the functional areas common to all PPP's, would allow a GSU to augment and support PPP's other than its assigned installation without having to undertake massive reassignments of personnel.
Organization Based on PPP Template
A fifth possible solution is to restructure GSU's to reflect the new template of the PPP installation garrison. PPP installation garrisons are being reengineered so they can operate more efficiently and with fewer personnel in preparation for Force XXI and the AAN. They are being redesigned to work like businesses that are aligned by the processes needed to produce their products. Installation processes thus are being grouped into similar functions, linked to key business drivers (core competencies), and assigned to business centers. This process will reduce redundancies and inefficiencies that currently occur within garrison organizational structures.
The structure recommended for the PPP installation garrison includes a strategic planning office (SPO); a supporting installation business office (IBO); and five business centers, each with an internal business office providing budgeting, personnel, and contracting capabilities. The SPO supports the installation mission and the business centers. It performs installation strategic planning, integration, and synchronization, using personnel currently in garrison staff positions, and includes a strategic planner and staff. The IBO supports the five business centers and contains all assets needed to program and reprogram resources to meet customer requirements. It also provides personnel and contracting services. It includes a chief financial officer, contracting officer, and personnel officer.
Of the five business centers, the readiness business center supports the installation mission by deploying the force and maintaining readiness. It incorporates functions performed by the directorate of plans and operations, the personnel security section under the directorate of counterintelligence and security, and the mobilization and reserve components training branch under the assistant chief of staff for reserve components. It includes divisions of training; logistics; and plans, operations, security, and mobilization.
The community activities and services business center supports the installation mission by maintaining quality of life programs. It incorporates the installation organization known as the directorate of personnel and community activities. The new business center includes divisions of community and recreation, personnel support services, risk reduction, education, and hospitality.
The information technology business center improves installation efficiency by providing, supporting, and securing information technology. The installation organizations replaced by this center include the directorate of information management and the information security section under the directorate of counterintelligence and security. The new center includes divisions of automation, communications, and informational services.
The public safety business center supports the installation by providing security and safety to the installation and the force. Installation organizations that are incorporated in this center are the provost marshal, the directorate of safety, the directorate of counterintelligence and security manager, and the fire department and hazardous materials section from the directorate of public works and environment. The new business center includes the police department, fire department, and safety office.
Finally, the public works business center supports the installation mission by maintaining readiness and quality of life and sustaining the environment. The installation organization included in this center was previously known as the directorate of public works and environment. The new business center has facility maintenance, housing, environmental and natural resources, and construction management divisions.
This structure accomplishes the GSU mission of supporting an assigned PPP without sacrificing the flexibility a GSU needs to augment any PPP installation garrison. It is a logical alignment of GSU functions and responsibilities. By using the same structure as the garrison and thus the same terminology to describe functional areas and personnel, it facilitates communication between the PPP and GSU. It also eliminates confusion about who is responsible for what within a GSU. This organization streamlines processes and creates a more integrated operation.
I believe that a GSU organization based on the PPP installation garrison template for Force XXI and the AAN is the only possible solution that prepares GSU's to support the PPP's of tomorrow. The other solutions may be excellent possibilities for standardizing GSU's for today's Army. But it would be a waste of time and resources to implement a solution that would not be the best for Force XXI and the AAN. By the time changes in GSU structure were in effect, PPP's already would be transitioning to the new Force XXI and AAN structures. The GSU's would not be able to augment them effectively, and thus the GSU structure again would be outdated. The Army should mandate that Army Reserve GSU's adopt the structure of the PPP Installation Garrison Template for Force XXI and the AAN. ALOG
Major Jeffrey A. Hughes, USAR, is an Active Guard/Reserve officer assigned to the 2174th Garrison Support Unit in Salem, Virginia. A Transportation Corps officer, he holds a B.A. degree from the University of Kentucky and is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College. He completed this article in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation from the Army Logistics Management College's Logistics Executive Development Course.