Discussions of military transformation have for too long focused almost exclusively on the combat forces. Without question, this is important; however, the transformation of fighting forces is complemented and supported by an equally serious effort to recast logistics and support capabilities. Indeed, as we have discovered in Iraq and Afghanistan, without a transformational logistics and supply system, the effectiveness of combat forces can be jeopardized.

Fortunately, at the same time the U.S. Army undertook to transform itself into a 21st-century fighting force, the Army Materiel Command (AMC) began a parallel effort to change virtually every aspect of the logistics and support business. As Gen. Benjamin Griffin describes so well in his article “Army Materiel Command: Supporting the Warfighter” (March), the breadth and scope of the transformation undertaken by AMC is truly remarkable.

As Gen. Griffin notes, the creation of life cycle management commands (LCMCs) has the potential to radically change the way the Army buys, maintains, manages and disposes of equipment. They are a good idea; the difficulties will be in implementation. LCMCs inevitably challenge the authority of the program executive officers and program managers. AMC headquarters will have to keep up the pressure to ensure that the system does not marginalize the LCMCs.

Under Gen. Griffin and his predecessor, Gen. Paul Kern, AMC has been a pioneer in public-private partnerships. These partnerships allow the natural advantages of the private and public defense industrial bases to be brought together in ways that enhance performance and add value for the customer. The engineering and production know-how of the private sector is married to the skilled labor and infrastructure provided by the public sector. At Anniston Army Depot, Ala., assembly is being done on the Army’s new Stryker combat vehicle. In addition, Honeywell and the depot have partnered on the production of AGT-1500 engines. BAE Systems has established a tight working relationship with Red River Army Depot, Texas, significantly improving the maintenance and overhaul of the Bradley.

Gen. Griffin is correct that AMC’s efforts to institutionalize a culture of innovation have resulted in radical improvements at the depots. One has only to walk the shop floors at Corpus Christi, Tobyhanna, Letterkenny and Anniston, as I have, to see the impact that Lean and Six Sigma have had. But the low hanging fruit has been picked—now AMC must work to get the depots to move to the next level of process improvement. AMC would be well served by looking closely at what the Air Force has achieved at its Air Logistics Centers in collaboration with companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Standard Aero.

AMC has another major challenge facing it: It has been made responsible for the repair and maintenance activities at Army bases worldwide, a function once the responsibility of the base commanders. In effect, Gen. Griffin’s domain has just expanded two- or even threefold. The condition of these facilities is not always clear; unlike the Army depots, they have not benefited from the same process improvements or investments in equipment. From where will the resources come to maintain the facilities, conduct the necessary work and improve conditions?

What AMC has been able to accomplish in the way of supply chain and logistics process improvements, while still meeting the needs of the warfighters, is truly amazing. Gen. Griffin and everyone at AMC deserve this nation’s collective thanks.

DR. DANIEL GOURÉ
Arlington, Va.


AFGHANISTAN TODAY
The explosion at the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan received an immense amount of international press, mostly because the Vice President of the United States was in the vicinity. As an Infantry colonel serving in Afghanistan, I am disheartened to rarely hear in the news of the plights befalling the people of Afghanistan, a country that was totally devastated by years of invasions, wars, natural disasters and the Taliban’s rule.

With its almost impassable mountains, Afghanistan was created many years ago as a buffer state between Russia and then British-ruled India. It was inhabited mostly by invaders who were crossing through it on their way to attack other countries. The people here are tribal. Many of the daily activities look the same now as they did in the 14th century. The country is landlocked, has very little arable farmland and very limited natural resources. Almost everything must be imported.

The children I see here are constantly covered in dirt; they cannot wash for weeks at a time. There is very little drinkable water, much less running water. When you look at the faces of teenagers you see the scars from bug bites and years of infected cuts. Added to that is the terribly cold wind at night and the brutal heat during the day. The unsanitary conditions here make the children look much older than they are. Their physical size is also deceiving; because of the lack of good nutrition they are woefully underdeveloped. Then there are the thousands of Russian landmines. They are everywhere. You see many Afghans who are amputees, victims of these landmines. Every day we hear about explosions from either suicide bombers or landmines. This is a country where the average lifespan is only 43 years.

Now the Taliban is coming back and attempting to disrupt reconstruction efforts of the international community. The Taliban knows, as did the Viet Cong, that you cannot defeat the American military on the battlefield. If you want the Americans to leave, you must defeat them in the court of public opinion. The Taliban is attempting to do just that, using suicide bombers, which bring them worldwide publicity.

For the uninformed, when violence occurs against the Coalition, the Taliban trumps it as a sign of weakness, when, in truth, the fact that a suicide bomber can come so close is actually a sign of compassion on the part of Coalition forces. The Taliban uses all sorts of ruses to get close—they fake accidents, injuries and even use children and animals. They play on the Western mentality towards helping one’s fellow man.

So violence gets the better press. A picture of a bunch of Afghan children reading for the first time won’t be on the front page of a newspaper. The press does not generally cover the literacy program conducted by the Coalition, the numerous schools that have been built (many of which the Taliban has already damaged), the education of women and the generally improved health environment.

If the security in Afghanistan were better, the reconstruction would go faster and the people would have a higher standard of living. And maybe the child in the refugee camp might actually live long enough to learn to read or even become a grandparent.
This is my third war. Soldiers do not do this for the press coverage; we do it for that child.

COL. ROBERT L. KLEIN
Kabul, Afghanistan


SGT. JOHN ORDWAY—“ARMY STRONG”
Lt. Col. Thomas D. Morgan, U.S. Army retired, wrote an excellent article about the indispensable Sgt. John Ordway of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery (February). As the sculptor of the monument at Fort Lewis, Wash., and a member of AUSA, I thought your readers might be interested in a few more notes.

The late Peter Geery, a Sgt. Ordway reenactor, served as an inspiration for the face of the monument. (Geery served in the Army; his son is currently in the Army.) We did an extensive search for an enlisted noncommissioned officer with the Ordway name, but we were unable to find one. Geery had a strong personality, was very active in his community and was a primary organizer of the coast-to-coast reenactment of the expedition. The monument is not a replication of Geery’s figure or face; there may be resemblances, but the monument has an image of its own. My actual model was Sgt. Robert Trice, stationed at Fort Lewis. I strengthened the face, inspired by Geery, by emphasizing planes. I sculpted the look of wisdom and respect for his commander—Sgt. Ordway is looking intently at Capt. Lewis.

There was no question about Sgt. Ordway’s body. It had to be strong. I made a trip to New Hampshire to find out as much as I could about Sgt. Ordway. Ron Collins, who lives in Hebron, has done a lot of research on Sgt. Ordway’s life. I went up Tenney Mountain with him to get a feel for how tough Sgt. Ordway must have been. Sgt. Ordway not only drove a road up the mountain but cleared the land for his farm with his brother. I made his body “Army Strong.”

The AUSA committee was very dedicated to the project. Every member spent a lot of time doing multiple tasks—finance, site development, education, communications, historical research, community and post liaison, to name a few. To help me with sculpting we had an approval process, a patina committee and a group of folks who assisted in selecting the rock pedestals for the monuments. All these tasks were accomplished with the guidance of our committee chairman, Maj. Gen. John A. Hemphill, U.S. Army retired. Assisted by Lt. Col. Donald A. Simpson, U.S. Army retired, he did the fund-raising, which included obtaining funds to fulfill the obligations of Fort Lewis.

Gen. Hemphill thinks that the Army’s contributions, which have made our country great, need to be shared. The Army was responsible for the successful Corps of Discovery trip. This was not a buckskin event. It was a well-disciplined Army team that made the journey. Gen. Hemphill continues to spend an enormous amount of time and energy sharing with the community the tremendous contributions of the U.S. Army. He challenges all of us to remind our communities about the Army’s role in making contributions. Serving with him on this committee has been not only an uplifting, proud experience but also a tremendous learning experience.

DR. JOHN P. JEWELL
Vaughn, Wash.