Volume 6, Issue 1 - Naval Sea Systems Command - The US Navy

SEAFRAME
12
Core equities
“It’s a mess out there . . . Thousands of items to keep track of in a
wide variety of sizes, shapes, and weights.” Photo provided by Jeff Benson, NSWC Carderock Division.
RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES OF RE-SUPPLy AT SEA (Continued from page 11)
opened even when stacked. JMICs are top-liftable and have
four-way fork pocket entry to facilitate movement through
the supply chain. Standardized dimensions also facilitate
materiel-handling automation such as the ASRS to reduce
required manning. JMICs are collapsible for retrograde,
so three collapsed JMICs travel in less volume than one
assembled JMIC.
If approved and accepted, JMIC’s transition will
follow an incremental development process supporting
an evolutionary acquisition approach. This will provide
for the time-phased introduction of JMICs in a manner
that concurrently evaluates and mitigates significant risk,
affordability, and military-utility issues.
Energy Conservation development efforts were
recently kicked-off to pursue innovative applications for
Navy shipboard energy conservation and carbon footprint
reduction with the potential for rapid transition to fleet
operation. The target segment of the fleet is the ships
operated by Military Sealift Command: Combat Logistics
Force, Auxiliaries and Sealift.
A number of significant energy saving initiatives
are already underway, including conduct of energy audits
to provide an accurate picture of the total energy used by
various systems in various operating conditions; installation
of accurate fuel meters; application of specialized hull
coatings; and evaluation of a performance based navigation
system to enable more efficient ship routing.
The OPLOG “themes,” while specific in focus,
are part of a larger, integrated approach to improving afloat
operational logistics and influencing seabasing.
Working within a collaborative Naval, DOD, and
commercial development environment, OPLOG seeks to
mature, integrate, and transition appropriate operational
logistics technologies. ONR, Systems Commands, and
PEOs comprise the Navy’s science and technology
expertise, and acquisition and fielding arms. Additionally,
in the post-S&T, pre-acquisition arena, OPLOG is working
together with these communities as well as OPNAV, the
fleet, Academia and Industry to support and transition an
integrated suite of logistics technologies.