MTMC--all the way--every day! An interview with the Commanding General of the Military Traffic Management Command.

Q. As the new commander of the Military Traffic Management Command, what will be your focus during your tenure?

A. First, our primary focus must be world-class support to the warfighter and our deployed men and women. Because we are a nation at war, I'm focused on what we can do right now to make a difference in supporting our warfighters and deployed enablers. One of those right-now differences is to force immediate improvement in Total Asset Visibility and In-Transit Visibility. We can no longer afford to sustain or move iron mountains of supplies for "just-in-case logistics." I've spent most of my career with the warfighters at the other end of the distribution pipeline. We must quit talking about "in-transit visibility" and "total asset visibility," and make it a reality. It's hard to believe we are unable to tell our Combatant commanders what's in a container. It's hard to believe we continue to send containers into their AORs without content data or tracking mechanisms. How can we expect to reduce the log footprint in an AOR when we continue to send containers or shipments without accompanying content data?

As late as July 2002, we only had 30% content data of containers we were shipping in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The end result--spoilage of millions of dollars of food, millions of dollars in charges to us in detention and demurrage, inefficient use of strategic lift, and MOST importantly, loss of credibility with our warfighters. There is no Combatant commander who understands why we can't tell him what's in a container ... nor should he! Working with the entire log community, we must ensure that everything MTMC sends into an AOR by surface (rail, truck or ship) has accompanying content data, so the supported Combatant commander can make the critical decisions he needs to prioritize distribution of inbound cargo.

Simultaneously, we are working hard to support the Commander of USTRANSCOM--General Handy's--vision--of Global Distribution by evolving into his Surface distribution command. This evolution is not only in sync with USTRANSCOM, but also with the Army's log transformation strategy as well. I believe MTMC should become the premier single manager for surface distribution, with the potential to evolve into a global surface distribution management command, serving as the single focal point for surface distribution for USTRANSCOM, our service components and the warfighters.

Equally important, we must ensure our men and women are trained and ready to deploy, survive, and provide support in peace and in war. My goal is to review and assess our Mission Essential Task List, or METL, and resource our commanders to train to standard for their wartime mission.

Q. What will be emphasized in MTMC's new strategic plan?

A. I believe we need to continue to refine and aggressively pursue our strategic plan. The road map is there. When we developed our strategic plan, we were operating in a peacetime environment. We are a nation at war--and it cannot be business as usual. I'm focusing on those specific areas that will give us the greatest return on investment in support of our warfighters. In my mind, that means accelerating our shift from "traffic managers" to surface distribution managers, which integrates stock positioning, scheduled lift, synchronized moves, and enterprise-wide TAV/ITV to provide end-to-end distribution solutions.

Q. How can MTMC better serve warfighters and deployed enablers?

A. I think I've covered this one in the macro sense ... but I would reinforce what I said earlier by stating that EVERY DAY we must remember we have men and women serving in harm's way. They are the reason we exist. We must:

* Leverage all enablers--commercial, wholesale agencies, sister services, and unions--to provide the best distribution solution to the warfighter. No one goes it alone anymore. We must leverage all resources and agencies external to MTMC to optimize our performance.

* Continue the evolution of MTMC's transformation to a premier single global surface distribution manager in support of USTRANSCOM.

* Review and assess the alignment and location of our headquarters and its ability to support TRANSCOM and enhance command and control of our subordinate commanders. Split-based operations are difficult under any situation. We need to drive the relocation of our headquarters, based on where we can add the most value--Fort Belvoir, Fort Eustis, Scott Air Force Base or another location.

* Evaluate MTMC's U.S. Army Reserve capabilities. As we map out our wartime requirements and Active duty capabilities today, we need to ensure our Reserve components are aligned and resourced to support our current global surface distribution mission.

* Improve our "face to the field" by increasing our interface with our warfighting customers, imbedding ourselves in operational planning up front, educating our customers on MTMC capabilities, and by telling the MTMC story as part of the greater TRANSCOM story.

Q. Will MTMC outsource some of its positions?

A. We have the mandate to review all functions for possible outsourcing. It is critical that we all work to retain our warfighting support capability, and at the same time, recognize and identify those non-core functions that are good candidates for outsourcing. We have a good plan of attack to do so. It's not something anyone should be afraid of--it's just something we have to roll up our sleeves and get on with. I'm confident we will come up with the best solutions for the right reasons.

In closing, let me say it's great to be part of the Military Traffic Management Command family. I've had the opportunity to meet our talented work force and many of our superb industry partners. I'm delighted to have this opportunity to serve with you during this extremely important time, when our support to the warfighter is so vital. I look forward to continuing to use TRANSLOG as a way to communicate with our customers and employees, and hope you do the same. Please keep our deployed men and women and their families in your prayers today and every day. I hope you had a joyous and safe holiday season. We have a tough mission ahead of us, and I'm counting on each and every one of you to help us meet the challenges that the new year will bring. God bless you!