MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY, Ga. -- To tell a little bit about himself as well as share some thoughts on how he thinks and operates, the new deputy commandant for Installations and Logistics in Washington, D.C., Lt. Gen. William M. Faulkner, visited various Marine Corps Logistics Command and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany entities, Oct. 18-19.
During his meetings and tours with MCLC and base leaders, Faulkner discussed how the Marine Corps’ installations and logistics team is a larger team, which includes Installations and Logistics, MCLC, Marine Corps Installations Command and regional commands.
“I thoroughly enjoyed visiting your base and sitting down and talking with you and your staff,” Faulkner said after meeting with Col. Don Davis, commanding officer, MCLB Albany, and other base department leaders. “I do look forward to hearing more from the tremendously talented Marines and Civilian-Marines of MCLB Albany.”
Faulkner congratulated and thanked everyone for their hard work, to include MCLB Albany personnel for winning various Department of Defense and Department of the Navy energy awards as well as implementing the Landfill Gas-To-Energy Project. A generator plant produces 1.9 megawatts of renewable electric power and steam by burning landfill gas collected from a nearby landfill.
“The MCLB Albany team appreciates the visit from our deputy commandant for Installations and Logistics,” Davis said. “It means a tremendous amount to the active and Civilian-Marines who work so hard in support of our country, Corps and community. We are looking forward to the next few years. We know there will be many opportunities that will
challenge us and we are confident that your leadership coupled with great Marines will ensure that we remain at the top of our game.”
The deputy commandant outlined his role and considers himself as MCLC’s and MCLB Albany’s advocate in carrying messages to the Pentagon.
“We are so big in Installations and Logistics we kind of lose sight of the collective, and that’s why I wanted to come down here and spend some time,” Faulkner said. “What I consider my role to be is your advocate. At the headquarters level, what we owe I think the Marine Corps logistics community in general, and that includes installations, bases and stations, is a kind of vision, a vision out to 2025, to have that strategy, a plan and a vision for the future. What that means is the individual initiatives (you are working on here) need to work their way up and be incorporated in that vision.”
During his visit, Patrick Shimko, plant manager of Production Plant Albany, described PPA and Production Plant Barstow’s, Calif., core competencies to Faulkner as they walked the PPA’s production lines in the main craneway.
“Lieutenant General Faulkner mentioned he had previously visited the plant but never had the opportunity to tour the facility,” Shimko said. “Lieutenant General Faulkner said the plant has a very modern look and feel to it and he was impressed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration-mandated fall protection and the safety measures in place. He commented that the craneway area looked very neat, clean and organized.
“We talked about the recent Marine Depot Maintenance Command consolidation and efficiencies we are going to gain as a result of the consolidation,” Shimko added. “We talked about future workload and our workforce makeup, and how with the advent of the reset workload, the current workforce makeup is expected to remain the same for the next few years. We also discussed PPA and PPB capacity and capability and how important it was to the operational forces.”
Faulkner, who began his current position about two weeks ago, depicted his Overarching Guidance Top 10 list, which was outlined at a recent town hall meeting in Washington, D.C.:
1. Treat all people with dignity and respect. (He encouraged all to smile).
2. We are in the Support Business - look for opportunities to say yes. (He added that if you can’t say yes, go out of your way to explain why to the requestor).
3. Spend 20 percent of your time figuring out what to change - and 80 percent actually completing the tasks.
4. Work/Family - establish a balance and pay attention to your family.
5. Be bold and audacious - status quo is easy. (Think outside the box).
6. Be prepared, timely and correct. Staff work is now your life; excel at it. (Your time is valuable, don’t waste it, be productive).
7. Teamwork - One Installation and Logistics Marine Corps team. (He went out of his way to reinforce that contractors are a part of the team).
8. Ensure value of conferences/meetings; ensure agenda/position/deliverables. (He observed that many meetings in the building were not a good use of time).
9. You are the subject matter experts and leaders, whether military, civilian or contractor.
10. Large mission - every positive contribution is significant.