________________________________________________________________________Richard S. Kem
A:
That's right. So, if either one of the next two don't have that chemistry, then it won't quite
work. So, it could go away.
Q:
Have you given your successor some advice from your last year as to his first months, or
whatever?
A:
I think so, but if you're going to ask me to say what they were now, I'm having difficulty in
recounting it.
I've walked through a bunch of things. I've talked to him about many of the things I've
talked about today, that is, process versus substance, insideoutside, how you have to play
across the board, how you have to anticipate, how you have to try to influence the action, and
the need for better timeliness on the part of our headquarters in coming to grips with issues.
What I really mean in timing is coming to grips with what we need to do, whether it's a little
thing or a big thing, also, the fact that the budgets of the coming years mean we have to find
a way to do less with less.
Q:
Not everyone states it that way, do they? Doing less with less?
A:
No. A lot of people say more with less.
Q:
More with less. Right.
A:
I say that because we're going to have a 580,000-person Army. We cannot expect to continue
USACE at this size for a 580,000-person Army. It has just come back to me in the last couple
of weeks since Ernie Edgar's arrived, and I've had the opportunity to communicate that to
him.
Way back when we were doing the command operating budget, it was obvious our funds
were being cut. I laid down several markers, and we tried to not salami slice. I tried to put it
out to people that we must look at a different way of doing business. We can no longer afford
everything in the same manner.
So, for purposes of looking ahead to '91, we've got a 40 percent cut. You'd better find out
how you're going to live within that. You hit a 30 percent cut, you'd better find out a way
how to do it.
For example, the Engineering and Housing Support Center. We're going to have a 580,000-
person Army and fewer installations. Since the center's job is engineering and housing
support to the field, they had better find out how they can be smaller and do it. So, what's
essential? To all--don't just salami slice. Figure out if there is something we're doing that
we should not be doing, so you can cut it away.
Q:
You know, you asked the same question at the transitions workshop a year ago too.
A:
Did I, really?
481
Previous Page
