MTMC moving toward single headquarters structure. (Greater efficiency sought).

The Military Traffic Management Command will be making a fundamental change in its organizational structure to improve efficiency.

Instead of two headquarters in Virginia--at Alexandria and Fort Eustis--the command is moving toward a single organization, said Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Privratsky, MTMC Commander.

"We need to push the staffs together," said Privratsky. "We can no longer work that way."

That was the message in a speech given by Privratsky at the March 15 luncheon gathering of the National Defense Transportation Association, Washington Chapter.

The March 15th speech is the first official public reference by MTMC to reorganizing efforts that are currently under way at the two headquarters.

MTMC has its headquarters in Alexandria, while its subordinate Deployment Support Command, which exercises command and control over ports in the continental United States, Alaska and Puerto Rico, is located at Fort Eustis.

Shared responsibilities of the two headquarters--located a few hours' driving time apart--often causes confusion for both customers and employees.

In the new organization that is forming, there will be a single headquarters exercising control over the organization's 24 water ports and 2,200 employees, said Privratsky.

This approach will increase efficiency and eliminate as many as 200 positions--mostly from the Alexandria headquarters (see sidebar, next page).

The command's operations center will be centralized at Fort Eustis. The workload of all other headquarter staff will be centralized in Alexandria.

"MTMC will not be two commands," said Privratsky. "MTMC will be one command with its operations center at Fort Eustis."

The majority of the 200 positions that are estimated to be eliminated are at the Alexandria headquarters, he said.

"I want you to have great respect for the people who are going through what they are going through," said Privratsky to the gathering of government and commercial transporters.

Changes will be phased in gradually, with full implementation expected by the middle of 2003.

The Deployment Support Command was formed Oct. 2, 1998, at Fort Eustis. DSC centralized some of the functions that had been performed at the Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne and the Oakland Army Terminal, the sites of MTMC Eastern Area and MTMC Western Area, respectively. Both ports were closed in September 1999 as a result of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

A second area of major reinvention will be in MTMC's automation systems, said Privratsky.

"I've got great people working on systems that don't talk to each other," said Privratsky.

The Logistics Management Institute, of McLean, Va., is currently reviewing commercial off-the-shelf software for MTMC to determine if some may be substituted for existing systems.

Six major MTMC automation systems are under review. They include the Integrated Booking System, Global Freight Management, Worldwide Port System, Transportation Operational Personal Property Standard System, Asset Management System, and Group Operational Passenger System.

In the 18 months he has been in command, Privratsky pointed to a number of major accomplishments. They include:

* Achieving 5 percent cost savings in fiscal year 2000 and 2.5 percent cost savings projected for the current fiscal year.

* Accomplishing the command's mission with 300 fewer positions than authorized.

* Cutting 10 days off the average time required to ship repair parts and supplies to Europe. The current standard of 40 days will be cut to 30 days within one year, he predicted.

* Standardizing structures for MTMC's battalions and groups worldwide.

"I have never, ever in my life worked in an organization that has taken on so much," said Privratsky.

Many of the organizational changes were suggested by civilian and military members of the National Defense Transportation Association, he said.

"Eighteen months ago, you told me that processes need to change. You complained about costs," said Privratsky.

"You told me the bureaucracy needs to change."