Medical Logistics - Army Logistics University - U.S. Army

The Sustain Warfighters’ Forum:
Sharing What You Know by Ma j o r General ja M e s e. ChaMbers
For a moment, I ask you to consider the following
challenges taking place everyday in our Army—
• A second lieutenant is looking for the latest doctrine
and tactics, techniques, and procedures for logistics convoy
operations.
• A colonel wants to know how human resource management
is being integrated with current sustainment
operations.
• A specialist deployed in Iraq is having difficulty
opening online technical manuals and ordering sight
adapters.
• A major in a brigade support battalion is looking
for sample tactical standing operating procedures he can
leverage as his unit prepares to deploy.
• A warrant officer class producing a supply guide
wants to solicit feedback from counterparts in the operational
force.
• A redeployed sustainment brigade staff wants to
share best practices and lessons learned with other organizations
preparing for deployment.
• A Department of the Army (DA) civilian at the Army
Materiel Command (AMC) wants to provide information
on mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles to
the field.
Topics may vary, but even in these few examples, one
resounding theme stands out: We need to improve on
sharing what we know with others in the Operating and
Generating Forces.
The volatility of the operational environment, coupled
with advancements in technology, has outpaced our historical
approach of relying solely on email, traditional
websites, and physical gatherings as the primary means
of exchanging knowledge. These methods still play an
important part, but we all know inboxes are full, too
many websites exist, and location-specific events cannot
adequately satisfy our daily mission knowledge needs. If
they did, we would not encounter the many knowledge
gaps exemplified above.
Today, Active and Reserve component commanders,
staff, and Soldiers want to readily collaborate—synchronously
and asynchronously—with each other and with
members of other Army organizations, in settings commensurate
with their operational missions, functions, and
operating tempo. They need simple but effective tools
that provide access not only to those who “know what”
but also to those who “know how” and “know who”
by using “virtual rolodexes” of subject-matter experts,
coaches, and mentors. Likewise, those of us in the Generating
Force who serve and support operational sustainment
formations need to actively contribute our wealth
of doctrine, training, education, and combat development
expertise by engaging in these knowledge-sharing
venues, with an ear toward listening and responding to
ARMY LOGISTICIAN PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN OF UNITED STATES ARMY LOGISTICS
questions, and sharing operational insights, best practices,
and lessons learned.
The Sustain Warfighters’ Forum (Sustain WfF) is our
approach to achieving this vision. In partnership with DA
G–4, AMC, and the Army Forces Command (FORSCOM)
G–4, the Army Combined Arms Support Command (CAS-
COM) has established the Sustain WfF to provide the
entire sustainment and logistics community with an array
of knowledge products and services. Commanders, staffs,
Soldiers, and DA civilians now have a single entry point
to a number of interdependent websites, document repositories,
and collaboration enablers. Hot topics are visible
to all, with easy navigation to unique Operating and Generating
Force domains. Direct access to communities,
discussion forums, lessons learned interviews, multimedia
products, and lifelong learning courseware is available, and
every user has the ability to “ask now” to get immediate
responses to critical questions and concerns arising in the
field. We have even provided the means for any user to
schedule and execute online meetings, and we will use this
tool to routinely conduct Sustain WfF leader symposiums
and other events with Operating and Generating Force
organizations.
The Sustain WfF is our part of a larger Warfighting
Forum vision, led by commanding generals, the Army
Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), FORS-
COM, and AMC. The FORSCOM G–4 has recently
directed all Soldiers in operational sustainment and
logistics units to use the Sustain WfF. This significantly
increases our obligation to fully engage in performing
our knowledge-sharing roles. Every member of the CAS-
COM staff, faculty, and schools should be routinely using
the Sustain WfF, and we must now embed this enabler
within our training base, ensuring that all Soldiers graduating
from CASCOM schools are competent in using the
Sustain WfF in their operational assignments and are benefiting
from the knowledge reach-back to their proponent
schools. Over the next year, we must also incorporate the
Sustain WfF into the Sustainment Center of Excellence
(SCOE) model command post, sustainment training
exercises, and other collective training venues to ensure
that operational sustainment commanders and staffs can
rapidly share insights, best practices, and lessons learned
with each other, the SCOE, and other organizations.
I challenge each of you to use the Sustain WfF to share
what you know. I can assure you there’s a Soldier out there
who needs it.
Users can access Sustain WfF at https://www.us.army.
mil/suite/page/372426.
Ma j o r General ja M e s e. ChaMbers is t h e C o M-
M a n d i n G G e n e r a l o f t h e ar M y Co M b i n e d ar M s
support Co M M a n d a n d fo r t lee, VirGinia.
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