Army approves new business initiatives to enhance army and DoD capabilities - In The News

Program Manager, July-August, 2003

U.S. ARMY NEWS RELEASE (JUNE 30, 2003)

The Army Business Initiative Council has approved 16 new business initiatives as part of the process to identify and implement business efficiencies and reforms.

The approval marks the fifth time the Army BIC has met since Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld created the BIC process for the Department of Defense in June 2001. The Army and DoD councils both focus on identifying ways to streamline cumbersome directives and lengthy staffing processes to spend resources more wisely.

Of the 16 initiatives, seven have benefits that extend beyond the Army to all military services and will be submitted to the DoD BIC for review.

The approved Army initiatives include:

* Promoting the use of standardized batteries to improve battery availability in times of increased need and encouraging the use of rechargeable batteries in combat situations.

* Standardizing parts throughout the Logistics system, with a specific focus on the eight different models of trailers in the current inventory.

* Streamlining and automating the process for determining Army family members' eligibility for services, creating a more transparent and less paper-intensive process that uses a Web-based, user-friendly environment.

Don Tison, executive director of the Army BIC, noted that any cost savings realized from these initiatives are retained by the Army organization that proposed them. "This encourages innovative thinking within Army organizations that result in increased efficiencies and effectiveness," said Tison. "Through the Army BIC we have developed a military culture that rewards innovation, improves the way it does business, and saves time and money, which goes right back to the Army's warfighters--our soldiers and civilians," said Tison.

The Honorable Les Brownlee, Acting Secretary of the Army, chairs the BIC. To date the Secretary of the Army has approved a total of 66 BIC initiatives. A complete list of Army-approved initiatives can be found at http://www.asafm.army.mil/bic.asp