MTMC COMMANDER PREDICTS STAFF CUTS, MORE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE OPERATION

MTMC COMMANDER PREDICTS STAFF CUTS, MORE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE OPERATION    The head of the U.S. Military Traffic Management Command said a combination of staff cuts and increased use of computer technology during the next two years will improve the efficiency of the agency’s operations.
   MTMC, the surface transportation logistics unit of the armed forces, has been in a reorganization mode for the past year and half, since Maj. Gen. Kenneth Privratsky took over as the agency’s commander.
   “We are reducing organizational layers, streamlining functions, using best practices and effectively leveraging information technology,” Privratsky said at the annual MTMC Training Symposium in Dallas Tuesday.
   By the end of 2001, MTMC will be 15 percent smaller than it was two years ago. That size will be reduced another 10 percent by mid-2003, Privratsky said.
   The agency is reviewing all of its existing systems this year to determine what could be replaced by commercially available systems. MTMC already uses USBank’s on-line PowerTrack system to pay freight bills to about 385 carriers.
   MTMC also wants to restructure its headquarters operations. The agency currently has two headquarter staffs less than 200 miles apart — at Alexandria and Fort Eustis, Va. The new headquarters will have control over MTMC’s 24 water ports and 2,000 employees. The changes will be phased in, with completion by mid-2003.
   “It’s a big change and it’s all aimed at improving our effectiveness in supporting (Defense-related cargo) customers,” Privratsky said.