Hi Dallas- congrats on your selection to command. I know some of your struggles of being asked to do more with less, or in your case, do more without proper equipment.

I agree with the previous post. There are two lines of effort (short and long) that you must pursue concurrently. I would add that you must also educate others about the unique capabilities the SMC brings to the fight. As a friend suggested, it is a force multiplier when used as an SMC rather than an FSC.

That being said, in the short-term you must educate yourself while engaging key stakeholders. The end state is to provide your direct leadership (BN CDR/ BDE CDR) an analysis of the capabilities they will lose at the expense of fulfilling FSC roles.

• Who at BN and BDE is requesting that you provide supply distro and who provided it previously? Is this requirement through formal channels (OPORDs etc)? Is this temporary or long-term?  I recommend you reach out to other ADA battalion’s and see what other commanders in your position are doing. Through my research, I was able to recommend other courses of action to my leadership based on analysis across units.
• What does your BN and BDE METL discuss? Look at training slides and the Army Training Network as references to build your argument. Does your CO METL match?
• Get the ball rolling on augmentation of equipment, troops, and training, etc.  If your leadership is set on your CO providing FSC capabilities, then you will require a deliberate plan to ensure you have the necessary equipment, resources, and training.
• Schedule a meeting with the BN CDR, BN XO, S4, Supply, BMO to talk about what non-authorized equipment is required. Talk to the SPO about the proposed concept of support.  At the end of the day something will fall short and it is up to you to convey that to your leadership and others.

My comments focused on the short-term solutions. It is also important to note that communication is critical in organizational changes, equipment transfers, and desired MTOE changes. It won’t be easy but you must effectively communicate across the unit to ensure key leaders are kept in the loop. One of the challenges I faced when transferring equipment was keeping everyone in the loop. Hope this help and please let me know if you have more specific questions or challenges.

Best,
George