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HomeNewsFort Campbell receives visit from U.S. Army Materiel Command

Fort Campbell receives visit from U.S. Army Materiel Command

Written by Staff Sgt. Kimberly Lessmeister
101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

101st Sustainment Brigade - LifelinersFort Campbell KY - 101st Airborne Division

Fort Campbell, KY – Command Sgt. Maj. James K. Sims, the 15th command sergeant major of U.S. Army Materiel Command, engaged Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Sustainment Brigade “Lifeliners,” 101st Abn. Div. and Army Field Support Battalion-Campbell about readiness, November 17th, at Fort Campbell.

AMC is a global command that has a presence in approximately 144 countries and in every state in the United States, according to Sims.

Command Sgt. Maj. James K. Sims (far left), the senior enlisted adviser of U.S. Army Materiel Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Perry, the senior enlisted adviser of 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Sustainment Brigade, 101st Abn. Div., and Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Espinosa, the rear detachment provisional command sergeant major for the 101st Abn. Div., lead a noncommissioned officer run, Nov. 17, 2016, on Fort Campbell, Ky. (Sgt. Neysa Canfield/ 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs)
Command Sgt. Maj. James K. Sims (far left), the senior enlisted adviser of U.S. Army Materiel Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Perry, the senior enlisted adviser of 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Sustainment Brigade, 101st Abn. Div., and Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Espinosa, the rear detachment provisional command sergeant major for the 101st Abn. Div., lead a noncommissioned officer run, Nov. 17, 2016, on Fort Campbell, Ky. (Sgt. Neysa Canfield/ 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs)

As the senior enlisted logistician in the Army, Sims visits commands to provide mentorship to logistician and sustainment sergeants major and command sergeants major and to provide the best recommendation to the most senior sergeants major on the talent management perspective, he said.

“[The visits are] all about seeing how we at AMC, at the strategic level, are able to help our sustainment formations at the brigade and battalion level to help them enable readiness for the unit that they are supporting,” Sims said.

Sims said his visits to the sustainment commands align with Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley’s priorities.

“The number one priority is readiness,” he said, adding that strategic readiness falls under that spectrum and is enforced by Sims and Gen. Gustave Perna, the AMC commander.

“AMC operationalizes its functions at the tactical, operational and strategic levels to assure sustainable readiness for the Army,” Sims said. “The command also ensures logistic professionals, both Soldiers and civilians, are trained and ready for the unforeseeable future and enemies of our nation and allied partners.

During his visit, Sims led a noncommissioned officer run and an NCO professional development forum, attended by logisticians from across Fort Campbell, to discuss sustainment operations and readiness.

Command Sgt. Maj. James K. Sims (standing), the senior enlisted adviser of U.S. Army Materiel Command, leads a noncommissioned officer professional development forum, Nov. 17, 2016, on Fort Campbell, Ky., for sustainment Soldiers and leaders from across the installation. (Staff Sgt. Kimberly Lessmeister/ 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs)
Command Sgt. Maj. James K. Sims (standing), the senior enlisted adviser of U.S. Army Materiel Command, leads a noncommissioned officer professional development forum, Nov. 17, 2016, on Fort Campbell, Ky., for sustainment Soldiers and leaders from across the installation. (Staff Sgt. Kimberly Lessmeister/ 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs)

“What I appreciated was not just the mentorship that he provided to me as a senior sustainment command sergeant major, but the mentorship that he provided to everybody that was there,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Perry, the senior enlisted adviser of 101st Abn. Div. Sust. Bde. “He was showing us and really educating us about the importance of how critical our role is as sustainers and professionals to the readiness of our Army.”

Throughout the NCOPD, Sims emphasized that maintenance is the cornerstone of readiness.

“I think any organization’s success is going to rely on our ability as not just sustainment or logistic Soldiers, but our ability as Soldiers and noncommissioned officers in the Army to be able to do a couple things very well,” he explained.

Some of those things include maintenance, logistics, personnel services, and health service support, Sims said.

“Globally responsive sustainment ensures Army forces are physically available and properly equipped, at the right place and time, to support combat operations” he added.

Perry said he agreed.

“As sustainers and logisticians, a lot of what we rely on is our equipment in order to provide first class sustainment to the warfighter,” Perry said. “If we do not have discipline in our maintenance programs, then when the warfighters need all those different classes of supply or the sustainment that we provide, there’s a chance that we may not be able to get it there because we failed to place the importance on maintenance.”

After speaking with sustainment Soldiers and leaders during the NCOPD, Sims held a luncheon with senior enlisted leaders from sustainment units on post and then visited the Logistics Readiness Center facilities around the installation.

The events of the visit allowed Perry to showcase how his brigade is taking the lead on bringing the entire Fort Campbell sustainment community together, he said.

“I’m confident that we were able to demonstrate to Command Sgt. Maj. Sims the unity of the total sustainment community here on Fort Campbell,” Perry said. “We want to be a model for the rest of the divisions and installations across the Army.”

After his visit, Sims said Fort Campbell is a “model organization.”

“I can look across the eyes of those NCOs and Soldiers, and I can honestly tell they’re prepared and they’re trained,” Sims said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that they are ready to fight the fight whenever and wherever it’s going to be.”

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