Командиры гарнизонов ВС США обменялись опытом на форуме в Редстоуне

The challenges facing Army garrison leaders may differ from one installation to another, but the lessons learned in meeting those challenges can benefit leaders across the Army. That was the idea behind the Garrison Leader Forum held at Redstone Arsenal Aug. 26, where garrison commanders from across the Army gathered to share experiences, discuss challenges and learn from one another. Jason “Jay” Condrey, director of Installation Management Command-Sustainment, said the forum is particularly important because leadership turnover is a constant across the Army installation enterprise. “I think the biggest thing is that we have a constant change of leadership,” Condrey said. “You have to create opportunities to bring everybody together to share ideas, collaborate, identify where there are opportunities and, of course, at the same time, highlight where there are some issues.” The multiday forum brought together garrison commanders from throughout Installation Directorate-Sustainment. Discussions and workshops focused on the many responsibilities involved in managing Army installations, including manpower, infrastructure, Soldier and family well-being and other core garrison functions. For Condrey, one of the greatest benefits of bringing leaders together in person is the opportunity to exchange ideas that might not be shared as easily through virtual meetings. “It’s lessons learned. It’s ideas,” he said. “It’s, ‘Hey, this is what we do here. It works for us. You might want to try.’” That exchange of experience was on display during a visit to the Mills Road Child Development Center, where forum participants took part in inspection scenarios designed to give them a closer look at Child and Youth Services oversight. The group worked through scenarios that included determining the correct head count of children and teachers by reviewing facility logs, checking the placement of emergency bags in classrooms and examining the building for maintenance needs. The exercise illustrated one of the forum’s central purposes: helping leaders understand not only what they are responsible for inspecting, but also how other commands approach the same mission. Lisa Hamlin, chief, G-9, Installation Directorate-Sustainment, reminded garrison leaders that Child and Youth Services inspections are their responsibility. Garrisons conduct four mandated inspections each year covering fire, safety, health and sanitation, followed by a multidisciplinary team inspection. The standards used for those internal inspections are the same standards higher headquarters uses when evaluating installations, Hamlin said. “If you do a really outstanding job with your internal inspections, you should do much better on your Army higher headquarters inspection,” Hamlin told the group. But the process, she emphasized, cannot simply become a routine checklist exercise. Each garrison has its own needs and recurring challenges, and inspections should reflect those conditions rather than following a one-size-fits-all model. Leaders should review their findings, track exceptions and work orders, and hold those responsible for inspections accountable for identifying and correcting problems. Col. Samuel Allen, commander of Garrison Fort Belvoir, described how his own experience reviewing Child Development Center findings changed his approach. He said reviewing the deficiencies identified during an inspection was “an eye-opening experience,” both because of the amount of documentation involved and because it showed him where the facility had fallen short. Rather than moving on after correcting individual problems, Allen said the significant findings would remain part of future walkthroughs, especially in areas where problems could become systemic or recur. That type of shared lesson was precisely the kind of exchange the forum encouraged. Hamlin pointed to Col. Keith Sandoval, commander of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, as another example of how garrison leadership can take a more hands-on approach to CYS oversight. Sandoval said his command emphasizes teamwork and open communication, ensuring that everyone from caregivers to CYS coordinators and MWR personnel has an opportunity to raise concerns and offer feedback. He also stressed the importance of leadership presence. His command team visits facilities regularly, often simply to walk through and talk with caregivers rather than conduct formal inspections. “If you’re only there to do an inspection, they’re very rigid with how they talk,” Sandoval said. The monthly involvement also helps different organizations, including public works and safety personnel, stay informed about facility needs and open work orders. Condrey said that level of attention reflects the weight of the CYS mission. Leadership presence reinforces to employees that their work is important, he said, while also recognizing the responsibility they carry. Child care, he said, is the “glassiest of all glass balls,” a mission leaders cannot afford to drop. That responsibility is why Condrey welcomed the additional scrutiny and inspections being applied across the organization. Every additional set of eyes, he said, provides an opportunity to ensure Army facilities are providing the highest standard of care. “We’re not living from inspection to inspection,” Condrey said. “The things that we are checking are the things that need to be muscle memory for those organizations because all it takes is one slip-up, and that impacts the child.” The Mills Road CDC exercise gave forum participants a practical example of that philosophy while also demonstrating how one installation’s practices and challenges can provide lessons for another. With many garrison leaders new to their positions, Condrey said forums such as the one at Redstone Arsenal provide an opportunity to connect commander guidance with the tools and questions leaders need to manage their installations. Most leaders serve on two-year tours, meaning turnover is an expected part of the Army’s leadership cycle, he said. For Condrey, the forum provides an opportunity for leaders to sit down together, discuss what works, identify what does not and take useful ideas back to their own installations. At Redstone Arsenal, the Mills Road CDC inspection served as one example of how that exchange can work, leaders examining a shared responsibility, asking questions and learning from the experiences of others across the Army.