New DOD Mobile Device Plan

   In the past, the military has experienced great difficulty with maintaining up to date software as it pertains to mobile and wireless devices. The reason being that the market is changing too quickly for the military to keep up. In an effort to correct this problem,  the Department of Defense has released a new plan that would enable it to have greater control over the usage of tablets and smartphones. Ultimately, the goal of the plan is to get more of these devices into the hands of soldiers. 

Currently, many of those that work in the military believe that this change is far overdue because of the fact that the military is using equipment that is expensive and out of date. The defense department currently holds a very expensive contract with Blackberry in which it pays more than $3,000 per device, so that the phone will be able to read classified information. This new plan will allow the military to work with more commercial vendors, so that they can reduce the costs of these devices. Generally, most soldiers own technology that far exceeds the capacity of the Blackberries that are currently issued to members of the military. The DOD's plan will help to reduce the costs of tablet and smartphone technology, so that the military will be better able to keep up with the changing technological environment.

According to the Department of Defense, the Commercial Device Implementation Plan will help to improve "three areas critical to mobility: mobile devices, wireless infrastructure, and mobile applications, and works to ensure these areas remain reliable, secure and flexible to keep up with fast-changing technology." The immediate impacts of the plan will be that several operational pilots will be introduced throughout the DOD in an effort to determine the devices that would best suit the military's needs. Additionally, the plan will promote the further use of mobile applications in an effort to "improve functionality, decrease costs, and enable increased personal productivity." Furthermore, the plan will help the military develop a streamlined process by which it can approve and distribute new forms of technology. Initial plans will support 100,000 devices offered on a subscription only basis by early 2014.

Logistically, the new plan can be both beneficial and hurtful to our military in the future. One of the benefits of the new plan is that greater use of tablets will facilitate easier distribution of information as it pertains to supplies. Further expansion of this technology will allow commanders to constantly keep track on the movement and location of their supplies. Also, these tablets will allow information to be inputted and uploaded to various databases quicker and decrease the military's dependency on paper. Despite these positives, there are some serious negative repercussions that will be felt as a result of increasing our dependency on modern technology. The primary negative relates to military's tooth to tail ratio. By increasing the operational complexity of our operating systems, we will be increasing the size of our logistical tail.  As a military, this technology will enable us to be more effective with less combat capability, but we will have to increase the amount of resources used in maintaining this technology. Future conflicts could potentially be heavily impacted by greater use of tablets and smartphones because their use will require a greater amount of resources  for  upkeep and maintenance. These devices may also have to be replaced in large quantities given the rough nature of all military operations. Therefore, the upkeep and replacement of these devices can be very expensive.

Given the looming effects of sequestration and the recent state of our nation's economy, it is hard to say whether we will be able to afford the logistics involved in the distribution and maintenance of these new devices. Supplying hundreds of thousands of soldiers with new smartphones and tablets will take a huge chunk out the Defense Department's budget, and with the economic situation, that budget is not likely to increase for a long time.Therefore, budget constraints will likely limit the implementation of the new mobile plan. This is another prime example of how logistics is influenced by a nation's economy, and how the latter often prevents the increase of one's strategic and operational capabilities.

Mesh Asset Tags

One of the largest problems faced by the United States Army is the ability to track equipment in Afghanistan. Historically there have been many issues with equipment getting lost or left behind in theater, packing a huge punch to the budget of units who can no longer simply “write it off.” Cubic, a leading technology and specialized services company currently services over 60 nations and now, the U.S Army will now be one of their largest customers.

                An order of approximately $4.8 million was placed by the Army to expand the wireless Mesh Asset Tags (MATs) to two bases in Afghanistan near Kandahar and Bagram. These MATs will first be delivered to the Army Logistics Innovation Agency (LIA) and the Army Sustainment Command before reaching Afghanistan. The success of the MATs has been seen at three bases near Kuwait where they have been used as GPS trackers attached to vehicles for yard management purposes. The MATs are small battery operated mesh tags with built-in GPS receivers. The implementation of this technology does not sound very new and innovative, but it is the partnership with Cubic that is what makes this implementation so significant.

Having Cubic on-board the project is significant because the company provides their own asset visibility system which enables logistics personnel to determine the location of any military vehicle equipped with the system from one database. Logisticians will now have the upper hand in tracking equipment from any computer where they can access the Cubic database, rather than relying on records that may or may not exist. While individual units will still be responsible for their equipment, the capability that the database will provide now allows for more advanced oversight and accountability processes that will surely be imperative as the Army strives to save every dollar it can and prevent our technology from falling into the hands of the enemy.

                The importance of this technology will be seen especially as the draw-down in Afghanistan occurs. Being able to account for all of our vehicles and other MATs enabled equipment before getting it back home will be a critical mission especially with the current/impending threat of sequestration. MATs will not only help the Army make sure all of its equipment is packed up and ready to come home, but it will also allow logisticians to track the equipment on its way en route to the states, enabling units to better plan for the availability of their equipment based on which phase of the ARFORGEN cycle the equipment may be headed for. Implementation of MATs will help to save money and prepare the Army for any future deployments that may be faced. Knowing exactly how much equipment was brought back from Afghanistan will allow military planners to accurately budget and plan for how much new equipment will need to be acquired.

Pic of the Week

Air Drop Of Supplies In Operation Junction City, Vietnam 1967

From Vietnam Studies: Logistics Support



The Unmanned Cargo Lift Helicopter

The Unmanned Cargo Lift Helicopter

With the rising need to move large quantities of supplies large distances, and the increase in the danger that convoys come under when attempting to resupply far off outposts, the US Marine Corps started testing new unmanned helicopters to perform such heavy lift operations since late 2011. These helicopters are altered Kaman K-MAX that are outfitted with software and hardware components that allow them to deliver cargo either autonomously or by remote control. The K-MAX program is a joint venture between Kaman, Lockheed Martin, and the Marine Corps.

 

 The K-MAX was first designed to provide a super heavy lift capability to all costumers when designed in the mid 1990s. I has been used in many industries, ranging from firefighting, to logging, and to general heavy lift. The design has proven to be extremely successful in high-hot conditions, such as the terrain in Afghanistan, where many classic rotary designs have suffered from overheating, reduced power, and increased down time due to wear and tear on the airframe and engines. Able to lift 6,000 lbs of supplies (more than the weight of the helicopter itself!!) and provide the greatest economic efficiency of any helicopter in its class, the K-MAX was a logical choice for the Marine Corps when the sought to find a solution to their logistical problems in Afghanistan.

The ability to resupply outposts remotely without having to risk more personnel, such as pilots, is a milestone in unmanned aviation. By being able to deliver supplies and return with another load would drastically cut down on the requirements and strain placed on the aviation branch of all armed forces to allow them to focus assets elsewhere. If expanded, this program would be able to safely supply a larger portion of remote outposts in Afghanistan and any future battlefield while simultaneously reducing the danger to pilots. The K-MAX is currently supplying outposts and assisting in the draw down of forces in Afghanistan by taking up the slack that is left when other rotary units leave the theater. Even though it is still in the test phase, the K-MAX has proven to be capable, reliable, and an overall success. There is a possibility to increase the number of airframes in the inventory to help out during future operations and as the military inevitably reduces its numbers to peacetime levels once more. The K-MAX will most likely be taking part in future humanitarian and military operations.

Pic of the Week

U.S. soldiers and airmen offload a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from a C-5 Galaxy aircraft on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 2, 2013. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Henry Chan

 

Repost from War News Update

Pic of the Week

USNS Kanawha and the USS George Washington

www.msc.navy.mil