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                         September 27, 2002

'TIM' approaching

GC briefs workforce on transformation installation management process

Story and photo by Jim Fox
Sprots Editor

West Point’s Garrison Commander, Col. Ann Horner, briefed the U.S. Military Academy workforce Sept. 20 about the impact of the upcoming Transformation Installation Management process.

She started by saying she was sure community members would have more questions than she had answers.

"TIM is not so much about transformation as it is about change," she said.

Horner said USMA would not feel the "TIM impact" as much as other installations.

"We are a ‘one-mission’ installation and our mission is not changing," she said. "That means we will not see as much change."

The USMA GC said one of the biggest impacts on most installations would be the loss of ability to divert funding from base ops to mission. But the uniqueness of the military academy helps us in that respect, Horner added.

"Because of our singleness of mission here," she said. "We haven’t had large dollar amounts diverted to other areas and that should make transferring to TIM easier."

Horner explained the TIM objective is to structure installations like corporations, so commanders can focus on mission instead of base operations. Base ops would be handled by the Installation Management Agency or IMA, she said.

West Point will join 26 other installations Tuesday in becoming part of the Northeast ‘TIM’ Region, Directorate of Resource Management officials here explained. Full implementation will not occur for at least a year.

"There are lots of questions that have yet to be sorted out with regard to our implementation here," said Cecilia Solomon, DRM Director. "Fiscal year 2003 will be a transition year for everyone involved, even the IMA. In fact, IMA looks to the end of 2004 to have all the right people in the right places and regions.

"The idea was to move to this new approach for managing installations with the minimum impact on our human resources," she added.

Horner said that during FY ’03 no USMA personnel movement would be required.

"However, it will be very important that we review all regulations concerning what is mission and what is base operations," Horner said. "They all must be re-written. That’s a huge undertaking."

The new fiscal year will be "business as usual for West Point, at least as we start the year," Solomon said.

"USMA will start with one resource management organization dedicated to serving the senior mission commander, our superintendent and the garrison commander," she explained. "We will be working with Department of the Army headquarters staff about mission elements and the Northeast Region IMA about base operations."

Solomon said flexibility would be the word of the day to achieve success.

"Success will be the level of transparency we bring to the process," she said.

There will be new rating schemes for those functions that fall under base operations, Horner said. How rating schemes for offices that have split missions -- such as the Staff Judge Advocate, Adjutant General and the Chaplain’s Office -- will work out have yet to be determined. But, she added, senior raters would not be "dual-hatted."

American Federal Government Employees Union Local 2367 President Don Hale called for further briefings to the workforce to help get the word out to employees. Horner said she planned to meet with individual agencies to fulfill that request.

"The objectives are TIM are good," Horner said. "I have to believe that West Point’s unique mission will continue to be supported by the senior Army leadership.

"We need everyone’s involvement and smart ideas to make this happen," she added.