Adieu Accessions Command

The Army plans to inactivate the service's Accessions Command by the end of fiscal year 2012 "as part of the Department of Defense and Army efficiency reviews," according to a Pentagon statement released this afternoon. Further:

The decision is a result of a comprehensive study to develop appropriate options for the alignment of Accessions Command and other commands that fulfill human resource functions. The decision will streamline the Army’s accessioning process and produce savings by de-layering the command structure without increasing the risk to the Army.

In his memorandum to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of the Army John McHugh outlined five decisions which include inactivating Army Accessions Command, realigning Army Recruiting Command and Cadet Command under the Army Training and Doctrine Command, and continuing to align Human Resources Command under the deputy chief of staff, G-1.

Over the next year to 18 months this inactivation is expected to create economic savings through manpower reductions, including the elimination of two general officer and 65 other military positions, approximately 130 civilian positions, and 290 contractor man-years.

This action is not related to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure reduction-in-force notices being given to the residual U.S. Army Armor Center and School civilian employees at Fort Knox, Ky.

Within 60 days of the April 19, 2011, directive, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower & Reserve Affairs (ASA M&RA), Thomas Lamont, will present McHugh a phased implementation plan addressing issues associated with the inactivation of Accessions Command. The realignment calls for the establishment of an Army Marketing and Research Group (for national and corporate marketing and research) as a field operating agency to ASA M&RA in the Military District of Washington.

Additionally, the Accessions Support Brigade will be retained and aligned to the Army Marketing and Research Group as a direct reporting unit. It will remain at Fort Knox.

Accessions Command was activated at Fort Monroe, Va., on Feb. 15, 2002. It was originally chartered to better align accessioning and initial entry training by subordinating Recruiting Command, Cadet Command and initial entry training (IET) organizations under a single headquarters. The IET organizations were removed from Accessions Command after a few years.