Readiness Maintainer Maj. Gen. Bruce T. Crawford Commander U.S. Army CommunicationsElectronics Command
2014
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command
Readiness Maintainer
Q& A
Developing, Integrating, Providing and Sustaining Army C4ISR Major General Bruce T. Crawford Commander U.S. Army CommunicationsElectronics Command Major General Bruce T. Crawford assumed duties as the 14th commander of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) on May 20, 2014. A native of Columbia, S.C., Crawford was commissioned on May 28, 1986, after graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering through South Carolina State University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He holds a Master of Science in administration from Central Michigan University and a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. During his 28 years of service, Crawford has served in a variety of leadership positions at tactical, operational and strategic levels. In his previous assignment, he served as the J6, director of C4/Cyber and chief information officer, U.S. European Command. Prior to that, he served as the commanding general, 5th Theater Signal Command, and G6, United States Army Europe in Wiesbaden, Germany. His command assignments include the 516th Signal Brigade, Fort Shafter, Hawaii; 82nd Signal Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; and B Company, 51st Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg. His key staff assignments include director, Chief of Staff of the Army, Coordination Group, Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.; division chief, LandWarNet Integration Division, Chief Information Office, G-6, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; branch chief, Net Centric Assessments and Analysis Branch, later executive assistant to the J-6, the Joint Staff, Washington D.C.; and assistant operations officer, later corps emergency deployment readiness officer, 35th Signal Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, and Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Saudi Arabia. His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal; the Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit; the Bronze Star Medal; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; the Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters; the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; and the Army Achievement Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters. Crawford is authorized to wear the Combat Action Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge. Q: You assumed command of CECOM back in May. Tell me about your first months in command and what has guided you in moving forward. www.MLF-kmi.com
A: First and foremost, my family is truly honored with the opportunity to lead our nation’s finest as the senior mission commander and commanding general of this phenomenal team of dedicated professionals here at Aberdeen Proving Ground and the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Given the broad depth and scope of our mission, which at its core involves developing, integrating, providing and sustaining the logistics readiness of our Army’s C4ISR weapon systems and enablers, we truly have an opportunity to make a difference. There is no place I would rather be or job I would rather have. Being here at CECOM and Aberdeen Proving Ground provides a great opportunity to help posture our Army for the future strategic environment. The future strategic environment that we will face as an Army makes it necessary for us as a command to adapt more quickly than we have in the past, with more innovative approaches, and with creative partnerships in order to sustain our global leadership role in C4ISR. I see three key challenges that we must address as we move forward. The first is developing and sustaining our competitive advantage, which is our quality workforce. It’s not a cliché to say that CECOM’s most important resource is the [group of] hard working U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command | MLF 8.7 | 1
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command people around the world serving our armed forces and our allies. We talk a lot about nofail programs that are critical to our success. In my opinion, the greatest no-fail mission is ensuring we have the most highly-trained and dedicated workforce in the world. With that said, step one in the ‘how’ of developing and sustaining our workforce has to be illuminating the importance of strengthening the Army profession. Above everything else, we must continue to invest in and commit to developing a deeper understanding and awareness of what it means to be a professional. Although this observation is intuitive for some, there are times when we as leaders must remind our teammates (and sometimes ourselves) of why we chose to serve, [and remind them of] that feeling and sense of pride we all had when we took the oath for Increased investment in signal training, inclusive of mission training complexes, signal universities, and courses such as the Digital Master Gunner Class shown above, will be a critical to the success of the new field support construct and ensure that soldiers have the first time. the opportunity to build the skills needed to address operator-level issues in the field. [Photo courtesy of DoD] We truly are in a noble, selfless calling the end the fundamental question is: Can we achieve the evolutionary that is successful because our predecessors earned the trust of the capability we envision by using the same incremental processes we’ve people we serve. If we are to remain the absolute most respected probecome accustomed to in the past 20 or 30 years? fession on Earth, we must first re-establish a deeper understanding of Finally, do I have the right capability (training, engineering, field why we serve this great nation. support) in place to enable readiness? As the CECOM commanding We’ve got a lot of great minds at CECOM but we also have to general, I need to assess whether we have the right capability in the live up to our solemn commitment to serve. Overcoming all other right places to support an expeditionary Army that is in the process obstacles is possible when we first understand why we do what we do. of evolving its fight upon arrival skill-sets. At first glance this chalThat leads into the second challenge, which is coming to grips lenge may appear to be oriented only [in terms of] our tactical formawith the fact that although we’ve made tremendous strides over the tions. But this challenge actually includes the institutional Army and past 13 years, we must continue to evolve many of our enterprise our force projection platforms where much of the training and leader processes and the policies that support them. development occurs. This is less about numbers of CECOM people Make no mistake about it ... job one is supporting the current than it is about ensuring that I have a versatile mix of training and fight and emerging contingencies around the world. We owe it to maintenance capacity at our posts, camps and stations ‘to the left of those teammates (and their families) who are either in or preparing to the customer’s need.’ go into harm’s way. But simultaneously, we have to take an introspecSo now comes the fun part: [determining] what exactly we are tive look at those policies and processes that drive our core missions. going to do. I’ve been in command now for about 80 days and have As an example, as we transition to sustainment, what repeatable taken the opportunity to visit about 60 percent of the organization processes do we put into place to create the predictability that feeds in multiple locations to include a couple of our divisions. To be quite our organic industrial base? I consider [these processes] to be critical honest, I’m both encouraged and inspired by what I’m seeing. I’m enablers to both sustainment and readiness. about complete with my initial 90-day assessment, but in order to Over the years, we’ve leveraged force generation and resourcing overcome the aforementioned challenges, my guidance has been the processes and policies to create predictability. We knew what units development of four initial priorities: were on the patch charts and what equipment to expect at our industrial base facilities. Although not formally institutionalized, there • Given the investment required to best leverage our competitive was an actual informal handshake that existed between our C4ISR advantage (which is our people), focusing on command climate, industrial base and our war fighting formations. Units turned in their quality of life and the profession is key. equipment before they redeployed back to home station, and for the • Readiness, both internal as a customer and external as a most part, by the time they returned from block leave and started the provider, [is essential]. All that we do must stand the audit test. train up for the next mission, their original equipment had either Are we doing what we are chartered to do at the level that our been replaced or reset. With what do we replace the predictability procustomers expect and deserve? vided by our past force-generation models and other processes that • Accountability, in the end, is what our nation expects. It is govern and resource the development, integration and sustainment fundamental to building trust both internally and externally of capability in our Army and joint formations? The impact is felt … this is what has earned our military, year in and year out, immediately in both the efficiencies and effectiveness of our industrial the [reputation] of the absolute most respected profession on base and our command elements that enable and deliver hardware Earth. From treating people with dignity to being responsible and software sustainment. There are many other examples, but in 2 | MLF 8.7 | U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command
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U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command stewards, accountability is about who we are and what we stand for. • Last but not least is the idea of “sustained relevance.” Thanks to some phenomenal leaders who came before me, CECOM has become the proverbial “gold standard” for many things across DoD. Now, I must ensure that I’m doing all that I can to posture this amazing command for the future. It’s been well documented that the uncertainty of our future strategic environment presents many challenges that we must prepare to meet head-on. But after only a few months in the seat, I must say that I like the team we have developing solutions both in CECOM and the greater C4ISR community, which includes our higher headquarters at the Army Materiel Command (AMC), the DA staff and our teammates in the combatant commands and on the Joint Staff. Q: In general terms can you offer an overview of CECOM’s budget priorities—with your insight on future funding? A: Our near-term budget priority is timely and efficient execution of the FY14 operation and maintenance funding that we received to execute CECOM’s mission. We plan to meet this goal by the end of the fiscal year. Defensewide reductions to funding, as well as audit readiness requirements, are causing us to relook how we do business
in general. We must support the mission within the [confines of the] resources available while achieving and maintaining audit readiness. One measure taken this past year that supports becoming more efficient and audit-compliant was a consolidation of resource management and information technology functions at the headquarters. This change has enabled us to continue our support to the C4ISR mission, while meeting our headquarter staff reduction goals as directed by the Department of Defense. One of CECOM’s budget priorities for the future is to manage an increased number of systems transitioning to sustainment without a corresponding increase in funding and personnel. A second priority for CECOM is streamlining field support as we decrease the requirement for field support representatives. This is driving us to look at the way we have been providing sustainment support in all areas to achieve efficiencies and still effectively support the warfighter. We are working closely with our partners in ASAALT to ensure that we are collectively ready to support systems that will [ease the] transition from production and fielding to sustainment in the next few years. One of our critical challenges will be sustaining a growing workload in post-production software support—in particular, ensuring systems remain protected against cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Q: What does the workload for Tobyhanna look like now and what is the projection for work and staff over the next 12 months?
Whether helping our government use real-time intelligence or keeping our troops well equipped and safe, we have one focus–protecting our national security for future generations. Our customers have a critical mission and they rely on us for solutions they can trust.
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U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command
CECOM Leadership
Maj. Gen. Bruce T. Crawford Commanding General
Gary P. Martin Deputy to the Commanding General
CECOM Staff
Col. Federica King Director Central Technical Support Facility
2014
Lane D. Collie Director Logistics and Readiness Center
CECOM Centers and Commands
Charles J. Glaser, G1 Director for Personnel and Training
James Lint, G2 Director for Intelligence and Security
Robert DiMichele Public Affairs Officer
Steve Hart Director Directorate for Safety
CECOM Special Staff
Maria Esparraguera Chief Counsel
Maj. Young Kim Chaplain
Col. Charles Gibson Chief of Staff
Sgt. Maj. Kennis J. Dent Command Sergeant Major
Larry M. Muzzelo Director Software Engineering Center
Col. Gerhard P.R. Schröter Commander Tobyhanna Army Depot
Col. Patrick L. Kerr Commander U.S. Army Information Systems Engineering Command
Kent Woods, G3/5 Director for Operations and Plans
Michael Vetter, G4 Director for Logistics and Engineering
Patricia L. O’Connor, G6 Chief Information Officer
Liz Miranda, G8 Director for Resource Management
Neslie Etheridge Director Equal Employment Opportunity
Phillip Pierson Inspector General
Dominic D’Orazio Director Internal Review Office
Vacant Director Office of Small Business Programs
Gene Catena Secretary to the General Staff
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command A: Let me start off by saying that Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa., is a strategic enabler for our Army. It is the largest full-service electronics maintenance facility in the Department of Defense, and it is capable of providing total logistics support for hundreds of electronic systems to include sustainment, design, manufacture, repair and overhaul. It is a unique and critical facility operated by specialized artisans with skillsets that, in many cases, do not exist elsewhere in the United States. Industrial bases such as Tobyhanna are a centerpiece of Army readiness, and CECOM works tirelessly to preserve this capability in a responsible, cost-efficient way. At the beginning of the summer, the projected ending workload in dollars for FY14 at Tobyhanna was about $652 million. As of July, the depot had received $600 million in workload. Some of the highest driver workloads are the:
Signal university students at Iron Horse University, Fort Carson, Colo., receive training on the AN/PSC-5 multiband radio. Signal universities are located at nine installations across the United States and have 31 staffed instructors and numerous training teams available to deliver C4ISR training when, where and how units require it. [Photo courtesy of DoD]
• Overhaul of Harris radios ($56 million) and Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System ($47 million) • Repair, overhaul and tech assist support for Standard Integrated Command Post System/Tactical Operations Center ($27 million) • Repair and tech assist support for PM CREW ($21 million) and Air Defense and Airspace Management CELL in support of Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Command (AMCOM) ($17 million) • Overhaul, repair and tech assist support for the AN/TPQ-36/37 radar (Firefinder) systems ($26 million) • Overhaul and fabrication support of AN/TPS-59 radar systems ($11.6 million) and AN/TPS-63 radar systems ($5.5 million) for the Marine Corps • Overhaul of the AN/TPS-75 radar for the Air Force ($5.6 million)
Our projected depot workload for FY15 is around $485 million. Most of the high driver workload from FY14 remains consistent through FY15, with a few exceptions. We see the addition of the overhaul and maintenance of AN/ASM 146 shelters ($23 million); the fabrication, repair, modifications and technical assistance supporting the Vehicle Optics Sensor System ($6.6 million); and the overhaul of traffic control and landing systems for the Air Force ($15 million) as driving our workload. Although we expect to see reductions in DoD budgets and associated reductions to core depot workload, Tobyhanna leadership has been very proactive in ensuring they remain competitive through a number of initiatives focused on reducing their overhead rates. As the new commander of CECOM, I intend to ensure maximum utilization of Tobyhanna’s capabilities as a critical part of my command’s mission to sustain C4ISR systems. Q: When the services go looking for a facility to manage a joint program, like Gray Eagle, what’s involved in that process and why was Tobyhanna selected? 6 | MLF 8.7 | U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command
A: For a joint program such as Gray Eagle, the military services nominate a depot to be evaluated for consideration to become the depot source of repair by following the Center for Industrial and Technical Excellence (CITE) designations. Tobyhanna has the Army CITE designation for C4ISR and electronics, avionics, and missile guidance and control, and the U.S. Air Force Technology Repair Center (TRC) designation for ground communications and electronics. The Gray Eagle payload and ground control stations fall under Tobyhanna’s CITE and TRC designations for the Army and the USAF. After the services nominate a candidate depot to perform the workload, the Joint Program Office reviews the existing capabilities for the depots and makes a determination based on existing capabilities, facilitization costs and capacity. I’m proud to say that Tobyhanna was selected based upon a best value analysis of all factors needed to establish an organic repair capability from within the Department of Defense. Q: One aspect of program control has been focused on the acquisition process. What can CECOM do to streamline the way it manages acquisition of equipment, parts and services? A: Our centers and subordinate commands are taking a proactive approach to improving how we do business in this area. For example, over the last year our CECOM Logistics and Readiness Center (LRC) completed two Lean Six Sigma black belt projects to map, document, and optimize the acquisition requirements documentation package generation process for both Army and Foreign Military Sales acquisitions. These efforts reduced the cycle time for generating these packages by more than 50 percent, eliminating significant re-work and improving the quality of the packages as well. This will help reduce our overall contracting cycle times. The LRC currently has five followon streamlining projects underway to improve how they generate www.MLF-kmi.com
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command and manage requirements in the area of depot-level maintenance services for C4ISR systems. We are expecting these projects to result in a much more accurate and reliable requirements forecast. We also have collaborative efforts on-going with AMC Headquarters, AMCOM, U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and DLA to explore and develop acquisition methods, contract vehicles and acquisition practices that leverage the buying power of all of AMC for the procurement of not only equipment and parts, but also engineering and technical services. Q: Under current conditions, is the statutory requirement of a 50/50 split between organic and commercial base workload a help or a hindrance to best practices?
Members of the Communication and Electronics Repair Section of the 322nd Support Maintenance Company, inspecting and putting the final touches on SINCGARS radio transmitters. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army by/Steve Grzezdzinski]
A: This rule is one of several core logistics laws passed by Congress to protect the unique skills and capabilities of the organic industrial base and retain the capacity to expand to meet unforeseen future needs. By requiring that at least 50 percent of funds appropriated for depot-level maintenance and repair in any fiscal year must be performed by employees of the federal government, the 50/50 rule functions as both a help and a hindrance to our best practices. Over the years, the statute has been helpful as it enables the establishment of public-private partnerships that are essential as we move to a more complex environment in the future. However, in order for the Army to better meet the intent of the statute, it must become focused not only upon the ratio or quantity of systems invested into organic and contractor activities, but also upon the quality of those investments to ensure Army core weapons systems are being maintained at an appropriate source of repair. The core documents (core depot assessment/source of repair analysis) are critical to 50/50 as they ensure the health of the organic industrial base and the Army’s war fighting posture. These documents identify if new or unique repair capabilities or additional capacity must be added to supplement the existing capabilities and capacities at the organic hardware and software depots. They also determine the most cost effective source of repair for redundant core workloads and document a weapons system’s depot level repairables. In summary, the 50/50 law enables DoD to maintain appropriate capabilities in our organic industrial base. However, with the significant reduction in overseas contingency operation funding and the corresponding impact on depot workload and equipment reset, the real challenge will be aligning industrial base capacity (organic and non-organic) to the realities of a smaller workload while maintaining compliance with the law. Q: With a paradigm shift underway and the expectation that some communications and electronics repairs will be done by soldiers in the field, what has been the feedback at the soldier level? www.MLF-kmi.com
A: This summer marks the beginning of a new era for C4ISR field support Army-wide, as leadership from the 1st Infantry Division and the C4ISR Center of Excellence have come together to kick off implementation of a new field support solution. When we first examined the C4ISR field support structure, we conducted site visits at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., and observed home-station training events at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Drum, N.Y. Our C4ISR team found that we were missing an opportunity to empower soldiers to handle operator- and maintenance-level tasks, so we developed the new model, piloted it, validated it, and today we stand ready to implement it. Team C4ISR is working closely with a wide range of headquarters and supported units to develop and refine a new tiered concept for delivering field support. Basically, we are reinvesting in our soldiers so that they are able to maintain their own C4ISR equipment. Feedback at the soldier level has been positive because it is a fundamental fact that soldiers want to be able maintain their own equipment. However, we understand that there has to be a training plan to mitigate skill gaps that developed over years of contracted field service support for systems. As we implement the home station concept for the first time at Fort Riley, Kan., we are tailoring the approach based on feedback from the 1st Infantry Division. We will continue to refine the concept as we start implementation at Fort Carson, Colo., in the first quarter of FY15. The initial planning meeting was held with the 4th ID staff in July to get their assessment of our planned way ahead. In the concept, a typical brigade combat team will have five personnel assigned, inclusive of three multifunctional logistics assistance representatives (LARs), a digital systems engineer (DES) and a system-specific field support representative (FSR). This staff will be supported by an additional 10 professionals aligned to the division, to include the CECOM trail boss, four multifunctional LARs, four system-specific FSRs and one division DES, as well as by other system-specific experts that are regionalized. U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command | MLF 8.7 | 7
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Q: Has the Army done a good enough job articulating to industry its requirements to fully integrate life cycle management into all of its programs? A: During the last dozen years of war the Army, and especially the C4ISR community, was challenged to quickly develop and field capabilities that were urgently needed on the battlefield. Providing for life cycle management was less of a priority in these cases as it was not known if these capabilities would remain as enduring systems that the Army would have to manage, and the overarching need to get the capability into the hands of our soldiers quickly. As we move forward into the peacetime acquisition environment, we will be getting back to more comprehensive and well-integrated life cycle management practices. Industry should expect to see greater An APG Real-world Internships in Science & Engineering Program student learns how to solder metal parts together for building fuel emphasis placed on total cost of ownership systems in the CERDEC CP&I Reactive Flow Lab. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army/by Allison Barrow] versus performance and delivery timelines. due to the thousands of dedicated professionals working around This will achieve higher levels of reliability and maintainability, the globe ensuring our formations are equipped with the most designing systems so that they can be more easily operated and state-of-the-art capabilities we can provide. I’m extremely proud maintained by our soldiers without the need for contractor field of the distinguished legacy and reputation CECOM has with our service personnel. This will enable our Army to continually selfmany partners and customers. assess and optimize our life cycle management strategies for C4ISR However, CECOM cannot do this alone. We work closely with systems. our C4ISR Center of Excellence partners and utilize the full force of AMC. Within our logistics core functions, we partner very Q: How will you be looking at how you manage inventory? Do you closely with three other AMC major subordinate commands, the think there are opportunities to fine tune how you order, transArmy Sustainment Command (ASC), the Surface Deployment port and manage the CE inventory? and Distribution Command (SDDC), and the Security Assistance Command (USASAC). Through ASC we leverage AMC’s single A: It’s obvious we’re working in an environment with real resource face to the field, the Army field support brigades (AFSB). constraints. My team is always looking at opportunities to gain For example, we embed our team within the 401st AFSB’s efficiencies and leverage technology to better manage our invenredistribution property assistance teams to enable identificatory. We’ve made great strides towards full automation, especially tion, classification and disposition of C4ISR equipment. We then as it relates to working with our business partners. One of the tools leverage our partners at SDDC in order to move our equipment we use to maintain proper inventory levels is our Procurement back through strategic sea and ground lines of communication Advisory Group (PAG). The PAG is comprised of a team of dedicated to our industrial base activities. But the partnerships don’t stop individuals that review all repair and procurement actions prior to there. We also work very closely with USASAC for our role in funds being obligated. We also leverage the sales and operations C4ISR security assistance, which helps build capabilities with planning supply review process to identify and aggressively reduce our allies and coalition partners. This effort is not only a key excess inventory. Together, these processes allow us to make the enabler for our combatant commanders as they build the capacright decisions and be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money. ity of our partners and allies, but also provides an opportunity for Furthermore, our weapon system directorates and transportaAMC to maintain critical skills and workload within our organic tion experts work in concert, through working-level reviews, to industrial base. track assets throughout the transportation network and expedite At the end of the day, the capabilities and innovative services movements whenever possible. This ensures we deliver materiel we provide come down to dedicated people—their commitment to the warfighter where and when needed, in the most efficient and support to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. From manner possible. our CECOM forward elements to our subordinate elements around the country to our C4ISR Center of Excellence campus, Q: Anything you care to add about the men and women of CECOM professionals from across the command provide an CECOM? invaluable capability in logistics and sustainment services in support of operational readiness and retrograde operations. They A: Upon taking command back in May, I noted that CECOM is one truly are the critical link that drives C4ISR readiness. O of the “crown jewels” of the military C4ISR community. This is 8 | MLF 8.7 | U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command
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U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command
Deployed support enhances operational readiness. Optics, sensors, scanners, helium trailers, generators and radios are very different types of equipment fielded to deployed troops that are supported by Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) personnel at the Electronic Sustainment Support Center (ESSC)/ Regional Support Center (RSC), located in a corner of the 3-401st Army Field Support Battalion footprint, where units can access C4ISR maintenance, training and troubleshooting support. The ESSC and RSC house technicians who provide maintenance support in communications, electronics, networking, fiber optics, software, HVAC/ECU, power generation and program manager support for a veritable laundry list of highly specialized technical equipment used by U.S. and coalition forces. Some of the equipment is non-standard and commercial off-the-shelf equipment, and some is U.S. Army system or program of record equipment that requires very specialized tools or skills to maintain. In the case of Army equipment, it is either more cost- or time-effective to have CECOM technicians complete the repairs. “It’s an umbrella organization,” said Robert L. Martin, ESSC manager. “The ESSC houses support capabilities and provides facilities and infrastructure to support various program manager programs.” Martin said he had a sign placed on the front of the building listing 15 capabilities housed in the regional support center so units can become familiar with the one-stop support provided there. The list—which includes radar, radios, customs and biometrics—is not all-inclusive. Martin listed at least 20 separate supported systems but noted that each system can have a number of variants and workers must be trained on each variant. Levels of support available vary but range from full maintenance and fly-away support, to direct exchange, to packing, wrapping and shipping. Many technicians are located at forward-deployed locations or are available to fly out on short notice to supply parts and expertise. Support for Program Manager Programs and Equipment varies and is determined by the program manager. Support for Program Manager Ground Sensors vehicle optics sensor systems, for example, includes new equipment and refresher training for operators and maintainers; de-installing old or faulty equipment and installing new equipment; full maintenance; fly-away support, and technicians located at 10 locations in theater. Martin said his technicians will also pack, wrap and ship between operating, storage and maintenance locations. Support for persistent threat detection systems, the unblinking eye in the sky, includes pack, wrap and ship only. Martin said the contractors working in the RSC are ‘multiskilled,’ and that helps reduce personnel numbers and costs. April Picart, an electronics technician who works on Harris and Thales radios, formerly supported only one system, but now supports multiple systems. She said her work is important because vehicles must have radio capability to be considered mission ready. www.MLF-kmi.com
By Summer Barkley
Vehicular amplifier adaptors made by Harris are shelved awaiting repairs at the CommunicationsElectronics Command Electronic Sustainment Support Center/Regional Support Center. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army/by Summer Barkley]
While training is not a primary mission for the ESSC/RSC, contractors in the generator maintenance and environmental control unit shops have soldiers working with them to increase their skills and knowledge base. “I’ve learned a lot in the last four to six months,” said Specialist Steven R. Murphy, 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, and a native of Knoxville, Tenn. “I’m learning valuable tools to take back to Fort Campbell.” “The more they can learn the better,” said Robert Stephens, ESSC generator maintenance shop lead. Specialist Mark A. Ocampo, a Pohnpei, Micronesia native, also with the 2-44th ADA, is working with Peter ‘Pete’ McGinnis, ECU lead. He said he’s a wheel vehicle mechanic, but working with McGinnis is giving him skills in other areas. “I’ve learned a lot and can now troubleshoot generators,” he said. “I’ll be good in three fields.” Andrew L. Thompson, CECOM senior command representative to the 401st Army Field Support Brigade, observed that everyone who works in the ESSC/RSC is very committed to supporting the warfighter. “Treat every system and piece of equipment as if your child has to use it,” he said. “Once a soldier, sailor, airman and Marine go outside the perimeter they don’t get a chance to re-do their situation. The services and systems we provide have to be 100 percent … all the time … every time.” O For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mlf-kmi.com.
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command | MLF 8.7 | 9
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command
Logistics assistance representatives helps soldiers keep computers talking. By Summer Barkley Every day, in locations around the world, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) logistics assistance representatives and senior master technicians work toward one goal—to improve soldier skills and knowledge on communications and electronics equipment that is vital to mission accomplishment. CECOM’s mission is to develop, provide, integrate and sustain the logistics and readiness of C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) systems and mission command capabilities for joint, interagency and multinational forces worldwide. To execute the mission, CECOM provides software and hardware engineers, logisticians, and maintenance personnel to the field supporting units. The ‘face to the field’ includes logistics assistance representatives, field service representatives and field service engineers under the management of CECOM’s senior command representatives. CECOM logistics assistance representatives (LARs) supporting Operation Enduring Freedom are usually assigned to a logistics support element nested in one of the battalions of the 401st Army Field Support Brigade. The LARs are a critical link between the deployed soldier and the solutions to battlefield problems that could delay or stop mission accomplishment. The CECOM LARs are subject matter experts who train and mentor soldiers to increase their knowledge and ability to work on and with C4ISR systems. One of the CECOM LAR skill sets is LOGIT, short for logistics information technology, and the men and women who are LOT-IT LARs are out working with supported units to train, advise and assist soldiers in keeping their black boxes (computers) talking. Michael A. Madden, LOG-IT LAR, recently worked with a soldier from the 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion who was charged with ensuring approximately 35 companies were able to update
A U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command logistics information technology assistance representative provides ‘over-theshoulder’ training to the 419th CSSB sustainment automation support management officer, who is working with soldiers from 514th Support Maintenance Company, 10th Sustainment Brigade. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army/by Summer Barkley]
data on equipment availability and readiness for use in planning missions. “He [Madden] taught me just about everything I know so far,” said Specialist Sean M. Koski, 419th CSSB sustainment automation support management officer. Koski said the knowledge he’s gained from Madden enables him to keep the computer systems for his supported companies functional for the unit. “Anytime we have any issues, he [Madden] is here to give us the big picture,” said 1st Lieutenant Sylvia L. McDonald, 514th Support Maintenance Company, 10th Sustainment Brigade maintenance control officer. “Our brigade SASMO [sustainment automation support management officer] referred us to Mike.” “We rely on our SAMS boxes for daily reports,” said Sergeant 1st Class Jamie Cox, 514th SMC maintenance control sergeant. Madden said his job is to train, advise and assist soldiers on how things are supposed to work. “I provide information and over-theshoulder training and mentoring,” Madden said.
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He said he acts as an ‘honest broker’ and focuses solely on training soldiers. He explained that he does not work for the soldier’s unit or command and also has no affiliation with the product. Madden also said working so closely with soldiers in a deployed environment enables him and other LARs to take a lot of information back to the program managers who field equipment. He believes LAR feedback can help identify potential problems, trends and solutions. Madden was nearing the end of his seventh deployment as a civilian and scheduled to return to his home station at Fort Hood, Texas, where he is a LOG-IT LAR in the 407th Army Field Support Brigade’s Logistics Support Element. O Summer Barkley is with Army Materiel Command.
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