by Colonel George William Wells, Jr., USAR
In the first of three articles, the author introduces the Army's new echelons-above-corps logistics organization and discusses some of the issues facing it.
One way in which the Army is changing its structure to meet future mission requirements is by examining the use of multicomponent units. The Army has been looking at augmenting active-duty commands with reserve component organizations. The Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans has established a policy to combine active and reserve component units under one command in an attempt to retain scarce resources. To accomplish this, the Army is using modification tables of organization and equipment (MTOE's) as the basis for structuring single, integrated units. One of the organizations initially selected for this change is the evolving theater support command (TSC) structure.
The Army is transitioning its old echelons-above-corps (EAC) support structure—the theater army area command (TAACOM)—into the TSC. The doctrinal basis for the TSC is found in Joint Publication 4-0, Doctrine for Logistic Support of Joint Operations, which states that, for a given area and a given mission, a single command authority should be responsible for logistics. The provisional TSC organizations now being created are the 19th TSC (reserve element), at Des Moines, Iowa, with its active duty headquarters in Taegu, South Korea; the 377th TSC (reserve element), at New Orleans, Louisiana, with a contingent in Kuwait City, Kuwait; the 21st TSC (reserve element), at Indianapolis, Indiana, with its active duty headquarters in Kaiserslautern, Germany; and the 310th TSC (reserve element), at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, which combines with the active-duty 9th TSC in Japan.
TSC Structure
So what exactly is this new organization called a TSC? It is still the EAC senior logistics command used by the Army service component commander (ASCC) or Army forces (ARFOR) commander in the field. The TSC is a flexible and adaptable structure containing an early entry module (EEM), a command and control structure, and a functional support capability for force projection in a major theater war or theater of operations. Its modular design permits phased insertion of the TSC (thus minimizing strategic lift requirements), instead of requiring insertion of a fixed structure that may not be the right size for a specific mission.
Internally, the TSC structure has added a theater-level distribution management center (DMC), which synchronizes both materiel and movement management. The additional flexibility provided by the DMC enhances command and control of theater-level deployment and redeployment support; sustainment; reception, staging, onward movement, and integration; and force reconstitution.
Another organizational change has been an attempt to align combat service support (CSS) functions—which include combat health support, personnel support, supply, maintenance, transportation, and field services—under a single commander. This change is based on the principle of unity of command for CSS and some combat support functions. The purpose of these modular linkages is to realign key support elements and functions in the structure to meet customer requests, achieve pipeline distribution and on-time delivery, and ensure customer satisfaction. These functional plug-ins, or alignments, are established by the ASCC or task force commander when he determines the initial logistics support requirements of his force.
The reserve component piece of the TSC organization is integrated totally into the authorized level of organization (ALO) of the TSC MTOE under which the TSC headquarters is fielded. No longer is the reserve augmentation a separate table of distribution and allowances (TDA) unit that merely fills gaps between operational requirements and the ALO, as was the case under the old alignment.
TSC Benefits
The new TSC framework has many advantages over the old structure. In Field Manual (FM) 63_4, Theater Support Command, the TSC centralizes the control of EAC functions under a single support commander. This reflects the single logistics concept of responsibility for the theater while providing clearer lines of communication among organizational structures. The deployed EEM of the TSC establishes the initial logistics framework in the area of operations. The TSC will prevent enlargement of the logistics footprint beyond what is needed to manage the flow of supplies into the theater from external sources. This will avoid the past pitfalls of calling forward EAC logistics units when only a slice of the unit is needed. As FM 100_7, Decisive Force: The Army in Theater Operations, details, this structure allows the ASCC to align the theater support structure as his circumstances require.
As the single logistics operator, the TSC will be able to leverage real-time information. This capability will enhance the fusion of theater operational and logistics data. The TSC provides a framework for developing a joint or multinational logistics infrastructure. Some proposals envision the TSC falling in under the joint task force commander (JTFC) in a multiservice or multinational contingency. This would create a direct reporting relationship with the JTFC for logistics support in the area of operations. It would align the TSC in an equal relationship with other command authorities.
Regulatory Changes
Several issues must be resolved before the new TSC structure can reach its full potential. For example, there currently are no regulations that recognize the unique status and requirements of multicomponent units. Existing regulations and policies concerning the flow of funds, personnel actions, and training requirements must be modified for multicomponent organizations. Each TSC headquarters is addressing these concerns through its appropriate component chain of command, with task forces working to achieve positive concurrences. The results will be detailed through memorandums of agreement and understanding, which will implement the Army's multicomponent unit policies by ensuring that the achievement of stated procedures are agreed to by all parties. At some time in the future, appropriate regulatory guidelines may be modified to accommodate the distinctive organizational structures of the TSC.
Funding
Another critical issue is the funding process. The TSC, as a multicomponent command, will use multiple appropriations. The senior commander in the multicomponent unit is designated as the funding manager and will be responsible for the budget execution process. Even though the TSC has a single MTOE, funds, by regulation, will still flow through separate component (active and reserve) channels. However, when funds flow through a series of headquarters, delays may occur in disbursing them, identified funds may be lost, and earmarked funds may be diverted—all of which can require time-sensitive, exhaustive efforts to retrieve the funds. The flow of funds will be crucial when mission execution is imminent. Current efforts are underway to channel funds from the senior fund manager's headquarters to each separate component in the TSC.
Automation Needs
Command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) architecture is another key concern. The working structure of the command must be able to communicate and process work using the latest systems, whether at home station or in forward split-base operations. Attempting to operate with outdated systems, or without C4I systems, is a prescription for failure. Customer logistics needs either will not be met or will fall short of the TSC's goals. An integrated automation network must be present to provide the data needed to achieve anticipatory logistics support. Fly-away packages need to be identified that allow unit logisticians to function on laptop computers at headquarters and when deployed in the area of operations. Regardless of the component, each soldier must possess the same capability to communicate within the established infrastructure. Past scenarios of system noncompatibility no longer can be tolerated. Without this capability, the multicomponent structure will fail to achieve mission success.
Likewise, all soldiers must be trained on the latest Standard Army Management Information Systems (STAMIS). In-house or contracted training must occur throughout the year. Soldiers must have the right Internet software capability at their home stations to refresh their skills. With multicomponent staffs separated by long distances, it is imperative that soldiers in TSC's are proficient in their logistics skills and work abilities so they can support the battlefield.
Training
Synchronized training of the active and reserve component staffs of the TSC must be orchestrated carefully. There will be a mixing of regulatory requirements between components. Each member of these multicomponent units must strive to stay current, have a workable plan, be involved in all coordination, and be innovative, even though many times he may be separated from his associates by thousands of miles. Without effective multicomponent staffs, good business practices, and administrative attention to detail, meshing the tactical, technical, and logistics skills of active and reserve component soldiers during such activities as force protection operations, EEM mobilizations, and fast-paced, high-stress operations will be less than totally successful.
Continuity of Roles and Missions
Even though a TSC has a single MTOE, responsibilities and roles will remain much the same under the new alignment. Among its assigned tasks, the reserve component element will be involved in training down-trace Army National Guard and Army Reserve area support groups (ASG's) and other support elements, such as corps support command and corps support group (CSG) staff elements and their soldiers. As AR 11-30, Army Wartrace Program, describes, wartime planning alignments and missions provide a rational basis on which to establish mission-essential task lists (METL's), develop effective unit training programs, and participate in such collective training activities as overseas deployment training and regularly scheduled exercises. The TSC as a whole will be charged with meeting readiness requirements and staff-section proficiency in military occupational specialty qualification self-sustained training. The TSC reserve components will continue to play a key role in developing, leading, and staff training by conducting exercises for subordinate reserve component ASG's and CSG's that complement METL training.
Support Under Challenging Conditions
The development of the TSC multicomponent structure is going to remain challenging and difficult. Training time will have to be managed even more carefully than at present. The learning and training environment of the TSC must emphasize the importance of real, wartime-scenario-developed missions and mobilization planning. However, train-up times and the periods when commands are expected to mobilize, deploy, and execute their missions will continue to be limited. The monthly inactive duty training and the 14 to 21 days of annual training that the reserve component soldier receives have not changed, and there is little prospect of increasing those training opportunities.
Citizen-soldiers also are different today than they were 10 years ago, and their attitudes and needs will challenge active component soldiers who must work with them. Because of ever-increasing family commitments, the uncertainty of promotions, and the disruptions caused by frequent deployments, many reserve component soldiers are choosing to leave military service. At the same time, increased real-world demands for military operations mean that reserve component soldiers will continue to be called upon to support a "come as you are" war. TSC's must be ready to support operations anywhere, anytime. The contingencies to which they respond often will be political and economic struggles that involve either the imminent or actual potential for low- to mid-intensity conflict or some sort of peacekeeping requirement. The senior commander of a multicomponent organization must balance a new set of requirements and become a full-time salesman for the virtues of soldiering in the reserve components.
What is the future of organizations like the TSC? It appears that this type of organization will be beneficial to the future structure of our force. It will play an even greater role as we continue to redefine our military force structure in the future. Today's Army of Excellence and the Army After Next envision an environment in which transitions from operation to operation will be time sensitive. There will be increases in the tempo of deployments, while at the same time the Army will continue to reshape, reduce in size, and digitize in place. These transitions certainly will enhance the need for the right forces at the right place at the right time. Where appropriate, select multicomponent organizations will be the cornerstone of our future military success. Augmentations and multicomponent units certainly are sources of the building blocks of the future Army. They will enhance the use of scarce resources, help to keep the personnel ceiling of the active force stable, and optimize our capabilities.
The word "seamless" will become obsolete as multicomponent structures evolve. The Army Chief of Staff, General Eric K. Shinseki, has stated, "We are `The Army'—totally integrated, with a unity of purpose—no longer the Total Army, no longer the One Army. We are The Army, and we will march into the 21st century as The Army." Further, we are reminded by his predecessor, General Dennis J. Reimer, that "there will not be a revolution in military affairs unless there is a revolution in logistics." Therefore, as logisticians, we must take the initiative today in order to benefit the military of tomorrow. The theater support command offers a logical means of integrating our active and reserve component soldiers to ensure support of "The Army." ALOG
Colonel George William (Bill) Wells, Jr., USAR, is the commander of the 21st Theater Army Area Command (CONUS) at Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a management support specialist with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Indianapolis.