Team of Teams Leader Maj. Gen. Gwen Bingham Commander U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command
2015
Tacom Life cycle Management COMMAND
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TACOM Life Cycle Management COMMAND
Team of Teams Leader
Q& A
Uniting a Coalition of Partners from AMC and the Army Acquisition Corps
Major General Gwen Bingham Commander U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command Major General Gwen Bingham assumed command of the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command on June 25, 2014. Bingham is a native of Troy, Ala. She graduated from Army ROTC as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Alabama in August 1981 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in general business management. She was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. Bingham has a master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree in national security strategy and resources from the National Defense University. On April 19, 2013, Major General Bingham was confirmed by the Senate for promotion to major general. Her military schooling includes the Quartermaster Officer Basic and Advanced Courses; the Personnel Management Course; Combined Arms and Services Staff School; Commissary Management Course; Army Command and General Staff College; the Army Inspector General Course; the Industrial College of the Armed Forces; and the CAPSTONE General and Flag Officer Course. Bingham has served in a myriad of staff and leadership positions throughout her career, including: platoon leader and executive officer, HQ&A Company, 9th Supply and Transportation Battalion, 9th DISCOM, Fort Lewis, Wash.; battalion S1, 2d Forward Support Battalion, 9th DISCOM, Fort Lewis; field services officer, 1st COSCOM, Fort Bragg, N.C.; group S1/adjutant, 507th Transportation Group, 1st COSCOM, Fort Bragg; officer in charge, Commissary Central Distribution Center, Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), Manheim, Germany; chief, Aviation Supply Branch, 4th Corps Materiel Management Center, Fort Hood, Texas; battalion S3 and battalion executive officer, 4th Corps Materiel Management Center, Fort Hood; chief of the Plans Division, ACofS, Materiel, 13th COSCOM, Fort Hood; chief, G3 Plans Division, 13th COSCOM; deputy commander, 64th Corps Support Group, 13th COSCOM, Fort Hood; executive officer, ACofS J1, USFK, Yongsan, Korea; commander, 266th Quartermaster Battalion, 23d Quartermaster Brigade, Fort Lee, Va.; chief, Support Services Office and deputy inspector general, joint staff, the Pentagon; commander, United States Garrison, Fort Lee; and chief of staff, United States Army Combined Arms Support Command and Sustainment Center of Excellence, Fort Lee. Bingham deployed in April 2010 in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom while serving as special assistant to the www.MLF-kmi.com
commanding general, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Kabul, Afghanistan and Kandahar, Afghanistan. She served as the 51st quartermaster general of the United States Army and Commandant of the U.S. Army Quartermaster School, Fort Lee. Prior to her current assignment, she served as commanding general, U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Bingham is the recipient of numerous military and civic awards commensurate with her rank. These include the Distinguished Service Medal; Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters); Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster); Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters); Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster); Army Achievement Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal; NATO Service Medal; Korean Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. She is authorized to wear the Joint Staff Identification Badge. Major General Bingham was presented the 2013 Strong Men and Women in Virginia History award and the 2013 Wise Woman Award; named “2013 Mover and Shaker” in Las Cruces, N.M.; presented the El Paso Chapter, Links, Incorporated TACOM Life Cycle Management Command | MLF 9.4 | 1
TACOM Life Cycle Management COMMAND TACOM Life Cycle Management Command Board of Directors
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Maj. Gen. Gwen Bingham Command General
Magid Athnasios Deputy to the Commander (Acting)
Brig. Gen. Brian P. Cummings PEO Soldier
Scott J. Davis PEO Combat Support & Combat Service Support
Brian Butler Integrated Logistics Support Center
Kristan Mendoza Army Contracting Command-Warren (Acting)
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TACOM LCMC Board of Directors Support Advisors
Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse L. Sharpe, Jr. Command Sergeant Major
Col. Patricia Sellers Chief of Staff
Col. Mark Brinkman Program Manager Light Armored Vehicles
Matthew Pausch Command Counsel
Alan Parks U.S. Army Garrison-Detroit Arsenal Manager
Paul Gayan Network Enterprise Center (Acting)
Brig. Gen. David G. Bassett PEO Ground Combat Systems
Carmen Spencer JPEO for Chemical and Biological Defense
Kevin Fahey System of Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate
Dr. Paul Rogers Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center
John Hedderich Armaments Research, Development & Engineering Center
Suzanne Milchling Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center (Acting)
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Dean Tom Civilian Personnel Advisory Center
Dr. Joseph L. Corriveau Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
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TACOM Life Cycle Management COMMAND “2014 Star Award;” the “Southwest Women’s Law Center 2014 Celebrating Women’s Stories award; and the “2014 Rock of the Year Award” for her community and civic contributions. Q: Could we start with a quick look at your budget? How do your procurement, RDT&E and O&M funding lines compare to last year? If your requested budget is approved as is, where do you see the biggest stressors coming from in terms of projects and programs? A: The TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) is a unique organization that enables sustainable readiness. When we talk about TACOM, it’s important to remember that the TACOM LCMC is both a TACOM LCMC’s budget has decreased by 10 percent from FY14 to FY15. The majority of that change is in the Operating and command in the Army Materiel Command Maintenance, Army account. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army] (AMC) and also a life cycle management the inability to incorporate future technologies; and the inbound command that unites a coalition of partners from both AMC and Army network due to size, weight, power and cooling. The M113 the Army Acquisition Corps—crossing the acquisition, logistics and could no longer provide commanders with viable capabilities to technology functions for an incredible amount of Army systems. maneuver across the full breadth of the battlefield. Together, TACOM and the three program executive offices aligned In December 2014, the Army awarded a contract for engineerwith it are responsible for 65 percent of every major end item in a ing and manufacturing development work to BAE Systems, which brigade combat team. Ensuring that equipment is not only ready set in motion a long-awaited and important modernization effort but continually sustained and improved is a tremendous challenge. for the Army. It really takes a “team of teams” which is how I prefer to describe The AMPV (armored multi-purpose vehicle) is a family of vehithe TACOM LCMC. cles that will fill critical force protection, survivability and mobility In terms of our budget, not everyone realizes it, but as a specific capability gaps essential in today’s armored brigade combat teams. system moves through its lifecycle, it is funded by different “colors At Team TACOM, we’ve worked diligently to take the right steps of money.” So, across our team of teams, different entities control early on to minimize risks and maximize commonality to ensure different accounts for the systems our soldiers need--emphasizing AMPV remains an affordable solution for the Army. the importance of collaboration. Of course, the biggest real costs The effort will produce 29 vehicles that will be used for rigorous for a system comes after it is fielded—its operation and sustainment and thorough developmental and operational testing to ensure they costs—which is a major part of the TACOM LCMC’s responsibilities. are effective and suitable for today’s mechanized warrior. The award As you know, sequestration hit the Army’s operations funding also has an optional low-rate initial production phase, where an accounts hard. Overall, TACOM LCMC’s budget has decreased by 10 additional 289 vehicles would be produced. percent from FY14 to FY15. The majority of that change is in our The AMPV is part of the Army’s Fleet Modernization Plan to Operating & Maintenance, Army (OMA) account. While there has upgrade our current fleet. When completed, the AMPV, as a family of been some variation in our procurement and RDT&E accounts, the vehicles, will fill roles such as medical treatment and medical evacuimpact is minor and in some cases offset in a shift of funding from ation, command and control and mortar carrier, among others. one to the other. The primary stressor is a decrease in OMA funding which impacts our most critical requirements. To soften this, we Q: With much talk about introducing sustainment into programs work throughout TACOM, AMC and the Army enterprise to ensure at the earliest stages possible, do you see the AMPV program doing we optimize the readiness of our weapon systems and capabilities. that? What are some examples from the program so far that are As always, our first priority is to the soldiers in harm’s way. not just looking at the acquisition costs but at the total cost of ownership? Q: Tell me about the AMPV program. With the fact that it is to replace the brigade-level M113s (and performance capabilities of A: Great question. As I mentioned earlier, we have sat down with our that vehicle) how important is it that this program stay on track? acquisition partners and our higher headquarters to discuss every system, where we see shortfalls and what steps we need to take to A: In 2007, the Army terminated the M113 armored personnel carminimize the impact of these shortfalls. We use the same process with rier program as it had reached the end of its useful life in our curemerging systems, like the AMPV and the JLTV. It is in our collective rent brigade combat team structure. The M113 was a workhorse for interests to discuss sustainment costs of a system early in the acquisithe Army for over 50 years and it no longer was able to expand and tion process. So, program management is talking to the contracting, modernize. It needed upgrades to offset ineffective force protection; 4 | MLF 9.4 | TACOM Life Cycle Management Command
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TACOM Life Cycle Management COMMAND budget and logistics requirements needed to develop a life cycle cost estimate that tracks everything that goes into a program from cradle to grave. This includes a work breakdown structure and all costs associated with a system through all milestone events and transition to sustainment. Given the current fiscal environment, AMPV must be affordable. It must be based on sound programmatic decision-making and cost analysis to include sustainment costs. It must meet the requirements set forth by Army, including force protection, survivability, mobility and power, which continue to be critical performance drivers for the program. The commonality that the selected solutions has with the Bradley family of vehicles as well as the M109A7 Paladin howitzer decrease our logistical TACOM and the three program executive offices aligned with it are responsible for 65 percent of every item in a brigade combat team. footprint and increase sustainability across [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army] the armored brigade combat teams (ABCT) supply chain and just-in-time deliveries. Material requirements formation. planning within LMP, backwards plans part support based on the The increased capability and versatility of the AMPV allows the end item delivery schedule. The system is able to backwards plan ABCT to take full advantage of its force protection, survivability, using the routes and bill of materials that are associated with the mobility, situational awareness and sustainability by providing a project. Material requirements planning will tell the installations highly survivable and mobile platform to accomplish operational when they need to order parts to insure they are at the line when support missions. Units equipped with the AMPV will be able to they are needed to meet the production schedule. move as rapidly as the supported primary combat vehicles during Another example of how we maximize the use of technology is unified land operations over multiple terrain sets. The combined an enhancement of the Logistic Modernization Program referred to protection and automotive performance capabilities of the AMPV as the expanded industrial base (EIB). When fully implemented, EIB will enable units to operate more securely and efficiently in the will help maximize the output and workload at all five of TACOM’s same operational environment as the combat elements. depots and arsenals—as well as at the Army Materiel Command’s other 12 organic industrial base sites. EIB will provide for automaQ: At what capacity are the depots performing? Do you have the tion of industrial base shop floors, thereby diminishing reliance right number of facilities and what are you doing to maximize their on paper documentation, manual data collection and complicated output and workload? processes. By leveraging automated information technology and best business practices, EIB will allow for better collaboration, A: TACOM is experiencing the same draw down challenges as the enterprisewide visibility, and real-time information access. other services, which heightens the importance of maximizing capacity. Some of the causes of these challenges include the reducQ: How much FMS work are you involved with? Do you see more tion in requirements; lower funding levels and reduced overseas conopportunities in this area? tingency operations funding and weapon system reset at the depots. As you may know, TACOM’s organic base consists of five instalA: During the first two quarters of this fiscal year, we have more lations with their own unique capabilities as arsenals and depots. than doubled our business from last year. Sales look promising and There are three depots: Anniston Army Depot for combat vehicles, we will easily quadruple business this year. We are managing 40 assault bridging, artillery and small caliber weapons; Red River more cases than at the end of last fiscal year. Army Depot for Bradley fighting vehicles, tactical wheeled vehicles, Obvious opportunities exist in overseas contingency operamultiple launch rocket systems, small emplacement excavators tions with new equipping strategies for both Afghanistan and Iraq and rubber products; and Sierra Army Depot for water purification through FMS. Our excess defense article transfers have sped up to and fuel storage/distribution systems. There are two arsenals: Rock our highest volumes ever and we see that continuing over the next Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center for few years. Opportunities for resetting this equipment and providing forward repair system and shop equipment contact maintenance, sustainment support are there. Overall, the FMS case load at the add-on armor and foundry operations; and Watervliet Arsenal Joint TACOM LCMC is promising. Manufacturing and Technology Center for cannons and mortars. TACOM has a government-owned, contract operated facility in Q: What are the challenges, especially in a tight budget world, Lima, Ohio—the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center. to become more green, less fossil fuel dependent and reduce the The Logistic Modernization Program (LMP) one tool we use amount spent of fuel and energy? to maximize our efficiencies, plays a crucial role in supporting the www.MLF-kmi.com
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TACOM Life Cycle Management COMMAND A: One of the challenges is that our systems have older technology. Old engines are not as efficient and therefore typically use more fuel. Yes, newer commercial engines are more efficient, but emission control technologies do not allow the use of some military fuels. Some U.S. manufacturers are unwilling to change the assembly line to remove emissions equipment for the low-volume military applications we require. In this case, the Army would have to resort to the use of export-certified engines that do not have emissions controls. If we went this route within the Army, they would not be consistently available worldwide. So, we are looking at several solutions to include pursuing advanced propulsion systems that are lighter in weight with efficient transmissions, novel engine designs and improved thermal management. We are looking at vehicle electrification technology that will facilitate reduced energy consumption and the development of lightweight, compact, high-power auxiliary power units (APU). These APUs will make it possible to generate electrical power while the vehicle is stationary, eliminating the need for the engine to idle for long periods—saving fuel and helping to make us greener. We are also looking at the development of lower mass vehicles to replace the vehicle fleet. Since vehicle mass is the overriding factor in determining fuel consumption, we are looking at new materials and new vehicle systems that can result in lighterweight and space efficient designs. Through partnerships with the automotive industry, the Army is investigating the use of fuel cell technologies that utilize hydrogen gas for power and completely eliminate the need for fossil fuels. Such technologies could greatly reduce fuel use in our tactical wheeled vehicles as well as remote forward operating bases and facilities. A non-scientific approach toward altering the Army’s use of fuels is through improved training and advance planning. It is as simple as changing poor driving habits, reducing unnecessary miles driven, eliminating engine idling, reducing driving speeds and monitoring fuel consumption. These are just some solutions that we are currently looking at. Q: Over time, the Army has acquired a number of inventory, accounting, communications and other IT-related systems. How would you characterize the TACOM LCMC’s plan to reduce the system duplication, eliminate systems that have trouble communicating with other systems inside and outside of the TACOM LCMC, and in general streamline the command’s IT networks? Do you have funding for any of this? A: The Army has implemented a number of accounting and ITrelated systems specialized applications that support TACOM’s mission and are in line with the Department of Defense’s and Department of Army’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) consolidation and integration efforts. Over the past several years, we have proactively pursued the reduction or consolidation of a number of systems, which will help to eliminate duplication and make it easier for our systems to work together inside, outside and across the enterprise. At the TACOM enterprise level, the command provides an application platform that centrally manages core information technology assets and services. This service reduces the total cost of ownership across existing and new systems through economies 6 | MLF 9.4 | TACOM Life Cycle Management Command
of scale. The platform also allows TACOM to consolidate a legacy portfolio of technologies into a common and consistent hardware and software platform. We are also participating in several commercial-off-theshelf, best-in-class ERP solutions aimed at reforming the Army’s national-level logistics and financial systems and business processes. The Logistics Modernization Program (LMP) and the General Fund Enterprise Business System have replaced several TACOM information systems. As the Army moves forward with the deployment of LMP 2, additional systems unique to TACOM will be absorbed and further cost savings will be recognized. With budget uncertainties and complications from sequestration and competing Army funding priorities, we will continue to look at ways to upgrade our accounting, communications, IT and logistics systems to ensure that we are effectively managing our resources and ultimately saving taxpayer dollars. Q: Any closing thoughts? A: In closing, I wish to share a few thoughts that may offer some insight into the likely challenges facing TACOM in the near and long-term future as the command works to meet the needs of the 21st century warfighter. There is no evidence that the current era of persistent conflict is ebbing. In fact, history shows us that there continues to be more conflicts in the last 20 years than the previous twenty years. That means that the Army will need a full range of capabilities and resources in order to meet a wide spectrum of potential challenges and conflicts—and win. No single system or approach can provide the flexibility and effectiveness the Army will need in future years. We know that some of our capabilities bring more to the fight in a conventional warfare scenario, while other capabilities have unquestioned value in counterinsurgency operations. Perhaps the biggest challenge in the near term may be our ability to address the Army’s need to prepare for multiple contingency operations while at the same time rebalancing the force in a reasonable and responsible manner during a time of fiscal restraint. This means we’ll have to look to the past, the present, and the future without binding our people, processes, and products too closely to the way we’ve done things before, the way we’re handling things today, or the way we think things will operate in the future. The past is over the present is constantly changing and we must prepare for an uncertain future. So how do we prepare for an uncertain future? In the past, we looked inward, but now we have to look at the institution of the Army holistically and as an enterprise. This is why it’s so important that we make enterprise thinking the Army’s—and the TACOM LCMC’s—new norm. As an enterprise, we’re all stakeholders. We’re all accountable. As an Army and as a life cycle management command, we have to provide the best possible products, services and support to our warfighters. And we have to do this while we work to rebalance the Army. This is a tough job, but one that we at Team TACOM LCMC embraces. This command has been at the forefront of Army modernization since its inception. Our workforce is passionate, highly dedicated and motivated to accept this challenge. We look forward to our continued journey of service, dedication and commitment to excellence as we endeavor to support our soldiers who serve our great nation—HOOAH! O www.MLF-kmi.com