Modernization Update: MLC Realignment
Guest Post from VADM Cliff Pearson, Chief of Staff.
Shipmates:
Recently the Commandant authorized the realignment of Maintenance and Logistics Commands (MLCs) in the Atlantic and Pacific areas to the Chief of Staff, effective January 15th, 2009. While this may seem like a small internal change, it is in fact a major waypoint on our journey towards Coast Guard Modernization. For the first time in history, all of our Service's global mission support structure will be aligned into one organization under what I envision with Congressional authorization will become the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS).
The civil and electronic engineers, financial managers, health professionals, safety inspectors and other personnel in these two MLCs play a vital role in mission execution by ensuring the operational readiness of Coast Guard vessels and shore infrastructure. I can't say often enough that the Coast Guard's reputation and success lies in the exceptional professionalism and dedication of our combined military and civilian professionals. With this in mind I want to again point out that modernization planning is being carried out with every effort to minimize impacts on our workforce.
Under DCMS, I envision centralized responsibility for all facets of workforce and life-cycle management from acquisition through decommission of assets, including personnel, ships, planes, buildings and information technology. Logistics and support services will be centrally managed through five logistics and support centers to increase efficiency. These logistics and service centers form the organizational construct to allow the Coast Guard to fully realize the benefits of the Logistics Transformation Program Commandant started in 2005.
These centers will manage mission readiness through centralized product lines executed regionally through detachments of each logistics or service center to reinforce uniform delivery of services. This bi-level approach was pioneered by the Aircraft Repair and Supply Center (ARSC), now the newly formed Aviation Logistics Center (ALC), which was the first logistics center to stand-up on October 30, 2008.
Over the next month, you will hear more detail about plans for standup of our other Logistics/Service Centers, including the Personnel Service Center, Surface Forces Logistics Center, Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center, and the C4IT Service Center.
I again encourage the entire Coast Guard to continue to review the "Modernization Section" on CG Central and look for future updates here in order to stay up to date on the positive changes underway for our Service.
Shipmates:
Recently the Commandant authorized the realignment of Maintenance and Logistics Commands (MLCs) in the Atlantic and Pacific areas to the Chief of Staff, effective January 15th, 2009. While this may seem like a small internal change, it is in fact a major waypoint on our journey towards Coast Guard Modernization. For the first time in history, all of our Service's global mission support structure will be aligned into one organization under what I envision with Congressional authorization will become the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS).
The civil and electronic engineers, financial managers, health professionals, safety inspectors and other personnel in these two MLCs play a vital role in mission execution by ensuring the operational readiness of Coast Guard vessels and shore infrastructure. I can't say often enough that the Coast Guard's reputation and success lies in the exceptional professionalism and dedication of our combined military and civilian professionals. With this in mind I want to again point out that modernization planning is being carried out with every effort to minimize impacts on our workforce.
Under DCMS, I envision centralized responsibility for all facets of workforce and life-cycle management from acquisition through decommission of assets, including personnel, ships, planes, buildings and information technology. Logistics and support services will be centrally managed through five logistics and support centers to increase efficiency. These logistics and service centers form the organizational construct to allow the Coast Guard to fully realize the benefits of the Logistics Transformation Program Commandant started in 2005.
These centers will manage mission readiness through centralized product lines executed regionally through detachments of each logistics or service center to reinforce uniform delivery of services. This bi-level approach was pioneered by the Aircraft Repair and Supply Center (ARSC), now the newly formed Aviation Logistics Center (ALC), which was the first logistics center to stand-up on October 30, 2008.
Over the next month, you will hear more detail about plans for standup of our other Logistics/Service Centers, including the Personnel Service Center, Surface Forces Logistics Center, Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center, and the C4IT Service Center.
I again encourage the entire Coast Guard to continue to review the "Modernization Section" on CG Central and look for future updates here in order to stay up to date on the positive changes underway for our Service.
Posted at
10:00 PM
5 Comments:
The journey to modernization is upon us! Wonderfully written post.
I am very excited about logistics modernization and hope it will improve & standardize policies across the fleet. Just today, in the process of trying to comply with an MLCPAC instruction, it turned out that East Coast units followed completely different guidance. Eventually when HQ was asked to assist, the first thing they did was ask for copies of the MLC instructions, because they were unaware of the guidance which the field units followed.
It will be great when we're all on the same page and instead of having a patchwork of often contradictory (and sometimes nonexistent/unofficial/unsigned) unit instructions, logistics processes and policies will be standardized across the CG and promulgated by HQ.
MLC realignment and LT B?s comments are exactly why we need to modernize the Coast Guard. Many of the comments I have seen lately question the timing, the expanse and the need for modernizing the Coast Guard. The fact is we have no choice. The financial crisis, external oversight, competition and the change of the Administration have all altered the environment to the point that the Coast Guard has no choice. If we want to be successful in the future as we have been for over 200 years we need to improve. The Commandant recognized this three years ago when he was first selected to lead this organization. All I can say is thank havens we started this transformation when we did. The Coast Guard would be in a world of hurt if we were just now realizing the changes around us and just now beginning to ponder what to do.
Thanks LT B for the great post.
Shade Tree Engineer
Modernization ? Is always good
I think that the original reasons that the two MLC's started diverging in their buisness practices is a testament to the organizations empowerment to people over their buisness process. However the fact that policies from Pac to Lant were so different has been a hard pill to swallow for some operators over the years. While this announcement may have been a quiet event in the eyes of our organization, it probably will mark the turning point of the entire modernization movement. This was long overdue and I was greatful to see this happen during my career. I look forward to not just seeing how this works, but making it work.
TW
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