ADF's journey towards global military logistics system solution
A military logistics veteran reflects on the lessons learned from the past and sets out an agenda for the application of technology in the military logistics sector in the future.
The global security environment is more challenging than ever with heightened awareness and activity generated by the "War on Terrorism" and an ever increasing need for involvement in peace keeping missions and border protection. Government expenditure in the defence and security sector has increased to accommodate both the capital equipment acquisition and upgrade along with the costs of enhanced operational tempo.
A key driver for military organisations is logistics capability. Military organisations require seamless logistics capability across their entire organisation from the back-end support and Original Equipment Manufacturers to the operational front line.
Preparedness, readiness and sustainability are key strategic elements binding the entire supply and logistics chain together. An integrated logistics environment combining supply, maintenance, engineering, human resources and finance functions across both the operational and corporate environments is important. Integration needs to be aimed at transactional functionality to provide the right part in the right place at the right time and also provide decision support capability at both tactical and strategic levels.
An integrated environment also helps military organisations to meet international and national obligations such as the International Financial Regulatory Standards (IFRS), International Trafficking Arms Regulation (ITAR) and a number of other legislative requirements. All these additional system requirements complement, but sometimes compete with, the basic military operational requirement at the transactional level.
A fully integrated logistics environment is a combat force multiplier that provides total asset visibility, equipment availability, accountability and decision support analysis. As Defence Forces increasingly work in coalition with foreign military and civil organisations (which have different systems, processes and people), the effectiveness of this collaboration depends on their ability to share information and at times equipment and inventory. A fully integrated logistics environment is key to achieving this.
Mincom, an Australian software company, has been on this military logistics journey for some time. Mincom was first engaged in the Defence sector in 1991 via a 25-year contract with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to develop a logistics system for the military. In 2003, the ADF decided to standardise and integrate its core supply chain systems around the Mincom Defence Solution with fully integrated maintenance capabilities introduced in 1998. This solution set has subsequently been adopted by Canadian Defence, US Coast Guard (USCG), and an array of other military clients around the globe.
Most recently in June 2005, the Australian Minister of Defence and National Security Committee of Federal Cabinet provided project First Pass approval and funding for the JP2077 Ph.2B - Military Integrated Logistics Information System (MILIS) activities. MILIS is a strategic partnership between the ADF and Mincom to develop the world's first global, fully deployable and integrated tri-services military logistics solution.
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Most of these COTS products were customised as they were added to the mix of in-house and legacy systems. Organisational fragmentation has distorted the environment further creating system stove
As a result, at the transactional end of the user spectrum force elements are not readily combined into task force elements within and across air, land and maritime environments. A further challenge has been the absence of financial accountability and an expensive and complicated through life support regime. Enhanced operational tempo and deployed operations generate an even greater challenge when, as a result of this fragmented environment, systems communications are intermittent or missing altogether.
The solution lies in the establishment of a common global solution baseline, off-the-shelf, with minimal customisation allowing the rationalisation or removal of in-house and legacy systems altogether. As no one piece of software can be all things to all people, open systems oriented architectures have to be developed so that a virtual environment of systems can be created.
The Mincom Defence Solution has supported Australian Defence Force operations in Australia, East Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq and a number of other operational deployments around the globe. Through deployment around the world, lessons have been learnt resulting in various initiatives among defence organizations including seeking joint resolution of the problems at systems level through a common Defence baseline. Accordingly, Mincom is engaged in a global program, primarily driven by Australian Defence, to resolve the systems issues currently causing problems in a number of areas. The initial issues being addressed include:
System Deployability - An essential capability of any military logistics system is that parts of the system ultimately operate autonomously and update (via store and forward and synchronisation functions) when communications are available. This capability means that Defence forces will avoid needing to rely on constant 'back-to-base' communications. It also avoids end users in the field having no functionality at all when communications are interrupted.
Deployability has currently been developed across a 3-tier requirement for continental, theatre and individual unit environments. Communications independence therefore can exist between tiers providing the operational autonomy and ultimate data/audit integrity required. Parts of this capability have already been developed with world first delivery of Field Logistics Management Systems to Australia Defence and USCG along with full enterprise deployability for USCG.
In-Transit Visibility - An ability to track and trace supplies, parts, equipment and documentation "from the factory to foxhole" is absolutely essential. Integration of off-the-shelf Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) capabilities and a cargo visibility system for distribution and transit scheduling purposes are also essential components.
Regulatory Compliance - Regulatory compliance is a mandated requirement, the most fundamental of which are the IFRS and ITAR capabilities. System integration, deployability, in-transit visibility, software configuration and interfaces themselves resolve a majority of these issues through provision of total asset visibility. In the case of IFRS type requirements inherent software functionality and capabilities in the pricing, depreciation and audit fields close the remainder of the loop. The fundamental 1st step, however, is total asset visibility in terms of the inventory items themselves via serial number, associated costs, usage history, system/equipment location, configuration management and overall through life management to disposal. Systems integration and achievement of a common enterprise baseline have to be achieved to enable this.
Data Integrity - Military clients around the globe are faced with the issues of both purifying data within extant systems and in preventing further corruption of that data, or newly generated data, into the future. Broader system automation and minimisation of the human interface through bar code scanning at all receipt and issue points along with RFID capabilities is another vital part in protecting data integrity. Accordingly, data cleansing and allied automation activities are areas where joint solutions and cooperation are being sought among military organisations.
Expeditionary military operations are driving a fundamental shift in military logistics thinking and vision. Systems fragmentation, data silos and lowest common denominator transactional use are no longer sustainable military system strategies. Deployability, in-transit visibility and creation of virtual logistics systems capability providing total asset visibility from factory to foxhole is the fundamental future requirement. Provision of seamless transactional capability in an operational sense across a deployed tiered environment is one thing but extraction of data for decision support purposes is another. The system integration and virtual environment itself have to be generated along with data purification and data integrity retention going forward. Only then can the major regulatory requirements in the form of IFRS and ITAR be sustained.
Military logistics is at an inflection point and much change is currently underway via programs such as JP2077 and allied international cooperation forum for use of common solutions and outcomes. Australian Defence leads the world in its attempts to resolve the logistics environment issues outlined above and has put the JP2077 program into place to resolve the immediate issues. Mincom, through its strategic placement with Australian Defence and like-minded organisations in Canada and the US is at the forefront of that activity as an Australian software developer taking the solution outcomes to the world. Progress and capability enhancement is already being achieved and the continuing journey forward is set to change the logistics systems landscape fundamentally into the future. The military logistics environment itself has to be fundamentally viewed and managed as a weapon system in its own right bringing vendors, competitors and military clients closer together than ever before.
Ian McDonald is Senior Vice President of Mincom Defence and a 34-year veteran of the military logistics environment in Australia, the UK and the US.
By Ian McDonald, Sydney