Soldiers cannot win on the battlefield without weapons to shoot, tanks to maneuver, food to eat and the logistics support to ensure those provisions get to the right place at the right time. Without those critical elements of materiel readiness, we lose our strategic advantage.
History tells us that in war, the difference between being ready and reacting will be measured in lives lost. Army readiness does not happen without materiel readiness.
As the Army’s senior logistician and commander of the Army Materiel Command, ensuring materiel readiness is my top priority. When proper supplies and the necessary services, maintenance and sustainment are in place, our forces can face an adversary with confidence and conviction.
This week, materiel readiness takes center stage as Army digital platforms showcase the important, but often overlooked, activities and people committed to ensuring our troops have what they need: the best-available equipment, maintained at its highest level of performance, backed by a responsive supply chain.
With nine major subordinate commands under the AMC umbrella, we deliver readiness solutions across the total force in line with the chief of staff’s priorities and combatant commanders’ requirements. In concert with the Department of the Army G-4 and the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, we make up the foundation of the materiel enterprise.
During this highlight week, I invite you to engage with us online as we take you behind the scenes to explore the breadth and depth of our efforts toward providing materiel readiness.
From a live look inside one of our manufacturing arsenals to 3-D printed battlefield solutions, you should come away impressed, inspired and confident in our capabilities and competencies to equip and sustain the world’s greatest land force.
Our enterprise is vast, and a weeklong view only scratches the surface. Here is a preview of what is to come March 10-18 on the Army’s social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube:
Mobilization and Force Projection
From the fort to the frontlines, the Army relies on a network of railways, ports and distribution centers to project force. We will show what it takes to accelerate delivery of essential equipment so our soldiers are ready to fight tonight.
Prepositioned Stocks
Army Materiel Command manages the Army’s prepositioned stocks — equipment sets strategically stationed around the world both ashore and afloat. We are taking this cache of gear to the next level by ensuring each element is configured for combat — ready to roll off a ship or out of a warehouse to face the fight.
Organic Industrial Base
The unsung capabilities of our organic industrial base spans manufacturing arsenals, maintenance depots and ammunition plants. We oversee 23 locations staffed with industrial artisans, skilled in forging cannon tubes, resetting wartime equipment, and producing reliable and lethal munitions to sustain global operations.
Big Data
Harnessing the power of the Army’s logistics data is key to our ability to see the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities across the materiel enterprise. Our world-class business intelligence tools provide capabilities that help us forecast supply chain needs and predict equipment maintenance. Our tools that track, analyze and disseminate information improve our commander’s decision-making ability at the point of tactical need.
Future Force
Even as we generate readiness for today’s threats, we must simultaneously modernize to meet future requirements. Our scientists and engineers are developing leap-ahead capabilities that will provide the Army a long-term strategic advantage over its adversaries. Programs underway at Army Research Laboratory and AMC’s six Research, Development and Engineering Centers are focused on enhancing lethality.
These efforts working in tangent, form the Materiel Readiness foundation and set the stage upon which to build Army Readiness — our No. 1 priority.
Gen. Gus Perna is the commanding general of Army Materiel Command.
