Col. Latrice Clark, incoming commander of the U.S. Army Force Management Support Agency (USAFMSA), receives the guidon from Brig. Gen. Kevin Admiral, Director of G-3/5/7 Force Management (FM), during a change of command ceremony, June 27 at Thurman Auditorium. Photo by Kelly Loss Photography
U.S. Army Force Management Support Agency welcomes new leader
The U.S. Army Force Management Support Agency (USAFMSA) conducted its formal change of command ceremony June 27 at Thurman Auditorium, Humphreys Hall, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Col. William “Mike” Fairclough relinquished command and control to Col Latrice Clark, who joins USAFMSA after graduating from the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.
The ceremony was officiated by Brig. Gen. Kevin Admiral, Director of G-3/5/7 Force Management (FM). Dr. Steven Stoddard, Director, Center for Army Analysis and Army Modeling and Simulation Office; Mr. Steven Stebbins, Acting Principal Deputy Inspector General and Chief of Staff; and Lt. Gen. (R) Richard Formica, former Director of G-3/5/7 Force Management (FM); along with previous USAFMSA leaders, Gerald B. O’Keefe and Dover Seawright, were in attendance. Also in the audience were family members and members of the Force Management Enterprise from HQDA Staff, Army Commands and Defense Agencies. Chaplain (Maj.) Michael Lindsay provided an inspirational invocation. The U.S. Army Brass Quintet and the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Honor guard) provided the ceremonial honors with great pomp and circumstance.
USAFMSA is a Field Operating Agency (FOA) of Headquarters, Department of the Army ODCS, G-3/5/7. USAFMSA consists of four major documentation divisions and is stationed at three installations – Fort Belvoir (VA), Fort Lee (VA), and Fort Leavenworth (KS) – with headquarters on Fort Belvoir. USAFMSA provides force structure documentation support to every Army Command, Organization, Unit and Activity as the HQDA Documentation Center of Excellence for Modified Tables of Organization and Equipment (MTOEs) and Tables of Distribution and Allowance (TDAs). The workforce consists primarily of Functional Area (FA) 50 Force Management Officers and Civilian Management Analysts from the Manpower and Force Management Functional Community.
USAFMSA was established in 1979 with the merger of several different staff agencies to provide a centralized capability to effectively perform the specialized mission sets of force management, force documentation, manpower and equipment management. The outgoing commander of this historic and important institution was commended and appreciated for his superior accomplishments over the past 3 years, his professionalism, dedication, teamwork and especially his programs in support of an effective and productive workforce.
Col. Clark is assuming command at a critical point in the reshaping of the U.S. Army force structures to efficiently modernize and organize with a focus on the 2030 Force. In her remarks, Col. Clark expressed the honor she felt in assuming command of one of the most professional organizations in the Army with one of the most important responsibilities, Documenting the Force!
This change of command is a bittersweet moment for the USAFMSA workforce. They will miss Col. Fairclough's strong and fair leadership but look forward to the new challenges and directions of Army Force Management with their new commander. The headquarters of the United States Army Force Management Support Agency (USAFMSA) is located on the corner of Belvoir Road and 20th Street.
By Christopher Garito
USAFMSA TDA Division Chief