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Army to realign major commands, agencies

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 30, 2003) -- Five major commands will report directly to Department of the Army staff principals under a realignment announced today.

The realignment of major commands and field operating agencies will create a new position on the Army staff -- the provost marshal general -- and the Criminal Investigation Command, known as CID, will report directly to the new staff officer.

The Military District of Washington will become a direct reporting unit to the Office of the Army Chief of Staff.

Medical Command will become a direct reporting unit under the Army surgeon general.

The Intelligence and Security Command, known as INSCOM, will report directly to the Army's assistant chief of staff, Intelligence/G2.

The Army Signal Command will be realigned under the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command. NETCOM will report directly to the chief of Information Operations/G6.

U.S. Army South, or USARSO, will continue moving to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, from Puerto Rico and will continue supporting the joint U.S. Southern Command, officials said, although it will report to Forces Command under the realignment plan.

Preliminary decisions about the realignment of other MACOM headquarters have been made, officials said, but details will not be released until the commands review the proposals. Over the next few months, MACOMs will develop implementation plans that address the challenges involved, officials explained.

Proposed changes will affect the following commands: U. S. Army Europe, U. S. Army Pacific, Eighth Army in Korea, U. S. Army Forces Command, U. S. Army Material Command, and the Military Traffic Management Command.

Training and Doctrine Command, Special Operations Command and the Corps of Engineers will remain unchanged, officials said, under the current realignment plan.

The realignments are a continuation of Secretary of the Army Thomas White's initiative started in June 2001 to assess all Army headquarters and supporting activities, properly align responsibility and eliminate redundancy, officials said. The FOA realignment is Phase II of that initiative and the MACOM realignment is Phase III.

The realignment plan will incorporate better business practices and organizational concepts that have proven successful in major corporations, White said, adding that it will optimize the use of technology.

The realignments are also designed to improve the control of resources and thereby provide tangible benefit to Army commands, installations and ultimately soldiers and their families, officials said.

Most of the initiatives, including those for FOAs, will be begin next fiscal year after the affected organizations develop and submit implementation plans for approval, Army officials said.

Decisions about the following Army agencies have been made:

Office of the Inspector General -- The TIG will integrate 10 reserve-component soldiers into the organization and consolidate its Information Technology activity with the Directorate of Information Management.

The Judge Advocate General -- The U.S. Army Legal Service Agency will eliminate one function and 22 spaces, while the TJAG School will eliminate seven spaces.

Army Contracting Agency -- One hundred spaces were eliminated in the consolidation and further reductions are proposed over the next three years.

Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command, or STRICOM -- This command has been eliminated and its acquisition functions transferred to the Army Acquisition Executive as a Program Executive Office. Research and development activities were retained in the Army Materiel Command, to become LOGCOM.

Logistics Integration Agency -- Consolidation of this agency will eliminate 25 spaces and provide more integrated support to the deputy chief of staff, G-4.

Army Physical Fitness Research Institute -- APFRI has been transferred to the control of the Surgeon General from the Army War College, and the spaces will move to the Medical Command on Oct. 1.

Army War College -- The Peacekeeping Institute is disestablished and its missions and functions transferred to TRADOC. Further, 26 other AWC spaces are eliminated, and the college is transferred to TRADOC.

Center for Military History -- Thirteen spaces are transferred to Fort Belvoir, Va., to begin establishment of the National Museum of the U.S. Army.

Army Test and Evaluation Command -- The command will assess the potential for consolidation and co-location of its headquarters and report recommendations in the spring of this year.

Army National Guard Readiness Center -- The Center will cut 164 spaces.

A study of Human Resources agencies, activities and missions has been completed, officials said, adding that results are expected within 60 to 90 days. They said the Army will announce decisions after the findings and recommendations have been briefed and approved.

Also as part of the Department of the Army Realignment Plan, the U.S. Army Central Personnel Security Clearance Facility was recently realigned as a subordinate command of INSCOM. Formed in 1977 as part of the U.S. Army Military Personnel Center, CCF at Fort Meade, Md., has responsibility for granting security clearances for Army personnel worldwide.

The announcement is the result of continuing efforts by the Headquarters, Department of the Army Realignment Task Force that White established June 25, 2001, officials said. The Phase 2 and 3 task forces were established on Jan. 8, 2002, immediately following final decisions on Phase 1.

The two task forces, consisting of about 30 senior civilians and military members of Army headquarters, looked at all aspects of Army agencies and MACOMs to include: acquisition, headquarters management, logistics, operations, training, intelligence, requirements development, resource management, external affairs, and civil works.

The approved initiatives are designed to streamline decision-making processes and achieve efficiencies, officials said, as the Army adapts to meet rapidly changing institutional and operational challenges.