An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

1st Theater Sustainment Command


News Stories

Orientation designed to enhance, develop 1st TSC Soldiers

By Barbara Gersna | 1st TSC | June 11, 2021

Fort Knox, Ky. --

Since the 1st Theater Sustainment Command headquarters is now staffed at 100 percent, a noncommissioned officers orientation has been introduced to provide an overview of what each unit or section does, both here and when deployed to the U.S. Army Central Command area of operations. The orientation is provided by each unit’s senior noncommissioned officer.

There have already been two training sessions where Soldiers in the 1st TSC received an overview from each section and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael J. Perry, III, senior enlisted advisor, 1st TSC, who spoke to the NCOs about the purpose of the sustainment orientation.

“We want to introduce you to some basic concepts to help you understand how we use our down-trace units,” he said. “We are taking the time as an investment in your professional development,” Perry added.

Perry urged those attending to nurture that investment and challenge themselves, “Take the information we are providing and do some self-development. It is your responsibility,” he emphasized.

Perry reviewed the three learning domains that are part of the Army leadership development model that he said all NCOs should know.

The first is the institutional domain. This consists of everything learned as a Soldier from basic training. It includes everything provided by the Army education system.

Then operational training is learned through mission execution.

Self-development is that final domain in which Perry wants 1st TSC Soldiers to invest in themselves so that they can become an even better asset to the unit. He asked leaders to think about how they are going to continue to amplify what they learn.

“What you do here might be different than what you do down range,” Sgt. Maj. Stephanie Washington, G3 sergeant major, 1st TSC, said. She also said that Soldiers who deploy must quickly get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Washington encouraged the NCOs attending the training to ask questions since the following sections were being briefed by their senior noncommissioned officers.

The first unit overview was about the 14th Human Resources Sustainment Center. This section deploys a task force to conduct theater-level human resource planning and operations.

The HRSC also manages human resource systems and provides technical guidance for personnel accountability, casualty operations and postal operations.

The 18th Financial Management Support Center is another 1st TSC unit reviewed. The FMSC provides continuous theater-level finance and comptroller synchronization through integration of national strategic level financial management agencies and commands, strategic planning, force management, technical guidance, and oversight, in order to support ongoing operations throughout the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.

Support Operations is the largest section of 1st TSC. It is organized into five parts: distribution integration branch, transportation operations branch, fuel/water branch, operational contracting support, and material management branch. Materials include supply and field services, munitions, and maintenance.

The main command post provides mid-to-long range over-the-horizon planning support. The 1st TSC MCP SPO plans, coordinates, and synchronizes external sustainment between the joint logistics enterprise partners and the expeditionary sustainment command within the CENTCOM AOR.

Master Sgt. Meaghan Bicklein, chief religious affairs NCO, 1st TSC, led the after-action review and asked for feedback from the NCOs who attended the orientation. “We learn from experience,” she said. She encouraged Soldiers to reach out to others for answers, and reminded them that it’s important to know where resources are and who to ask.

There have already been two NCO orientation sessions. Washington said that there will be monthly sessions until they’ve caught up with the target audience, which is staff sergeant through first lieutenant.

“Once all current 1st TSC members have attended, we will make it quarterly to support new members as they come into the unit,” Washington said.

“We welcome anyone that would like to attend,” Washington said. “We’ve even had Soldiers from down range ask to dial in virtually, as well as those not belonging to the target audience rank wise.”