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The Publication of Record for the Military Logistics Community<br />
Logistics<br />
Optimizer<br />
Lt. Gen.<br />
Frank A.<br />
Panter Jr.<br />
Deputy<br />
Commandant,<br />
Installations<br />
and Logistics<br />
U.S. Marine Corps<br />
PrSrt Std<br />
U.S. PoStAGe<br />
PAid<br />
merrifield, VA<br />
Permit # 620<br />
Interview with:<br />
Lt. Gen.<br />
James m. KowaLsKi<br />
Commander<br />
Air Force Global Strike Command<br />
Shelters O Rugged Computers O Red River Depot O Materiel Handling<br />
Trucks for Every Day O Life Cycle Planning<br />
Air Force<br />
GlobAl Strike commAnd<br />
Special pull-out<br />
Supplement<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com<br />
August 2011<br />
Volume 5, Issue 7
When the mission requires your troops to<br />
go where it’s just not safe for anyone to go,<br />
Modern Day Marine Booth 2404<br />
oshkoshdefense.com<br />
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Yes, innovation is personal. It’s very personal.<br />
©2011 OSHKOSH CORPORATION Oshkosh and the Oshkosh logo are registered trademarks and TerraMax is a trademark of Oshkosh Corporation, Oshkosh, WI, USA<br />
INN_003_2011-US-1
Military logistics ForuM<br />
16<br />
Red River Army Depot<br />
supporting the soldier since 1941.<br />
By Red River army Depot Public affairs<br />
august 2011<br />
VoluMe 5 • issue 7<br />
Features coVer / Q&a<br />
7<br />
10<br />
25<br />
28<br />
32<br />
Gimme Shelter<br />
serving multiple purposes for the servicemember, portable shelters<br />
have become an essential part of expeditionary warfare. Military<br />
Logistics Forum spoke to leading shelter manufacturers about the<br />
state-of-the-art in shelter technology, asking what innovations they are<br />
using to evolve their shelter design.<br />
Tough by Design<br />
Rugged laptops and tablets have continued to expedite military logistics<br />
operations as they absorb the latest technology and meet the toughest<br />
military standards.<br />
By Cheryl Gerber<br />
aiR FoRCe GLoBaL stRiKe CommanD<br />
sPeCiaL PULL-oUt sUPPLement<br />
exclusive interview with<br />
Lieutenant General James M. Kowalski<br />
Commander<br />
air Force Global strike Command<br />
Handling Choices<br />
the U.s. military’s requirements for lifting, pushing, pulling, loading,<br />
unloading and generally moving around a lot of heavy material are<br />
similar to civilian needs, but operating in very difficult and dangerous<br />
environments.<br />
By Henry Canaday<br />
Not Your Everyday Trucks<br />
the necessity of running supplies is constant and critical to operations.<br />
the modern versions of the deuce-and-a-half are getting the job done<br />
more efficiently and offering protection to the crews as well.<br />
By Peter Buxbaum<br />
Life Cycle Planning<br />
there is no substitute for choosing new programs wisely, which means<br />
including the total life cycle costs of all military assets, both current<br />
assets whose lives must be extended and new platforms, systems and<br />
components.<br />
By Henry Canaday<br />
www.MlF-kMi.coM<br />
21<br />
Lieutenant General<br />
Frank A. Panter Jr.<br />
Deputy Commandant, installations<br />
and Logistics<br />
U.s. marine Corps<br />
DepartMents<br />
2<br />
4<br />
6<br />
15<br />
18<br />
35<br />
Editor’s Perspective<br />
Log Ops<br />
People<br />
Log Leadership Lessons<br />
Supply Chain<br />
Calendar, Directory<br />
inDustry interView<br />
36<br />
Diane Giuliani<br />
senior Vice President<br />
and General manager<br />
aai Logistics & technical services
Military logistics<br />
ForuM<br />
VoluMe 5, issue 7 august 2011<br />
Publication of Record for the<br />
Military Logistics Community<br />
eDitorial<br />
Editor<br />
Jeff McKaughan jeffm@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Online Editorial Manager<br />
Laura Davis laurad@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Copy Editor<br />
John Marth johnm@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Correspondents<br />
Peter Buxbaum • Henry Canaday • Cheryl Gerber<br />
Steve Goodman • Kelly Fodel • Kenya McCullum<br />
art & Design<br />
Art Director<br />
Jennifer Owers jennifero@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Senior Designer<br />
Jittima Saiwongnuan jittimas@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Graphic Designers<br />
Scott Morris scottm@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Eden Papineau edenp@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Kailey Waring kaileyw@kmimediagroup.com<br />
aDVertising<br />
Associate Publisher<br />
Jane Engel jane@kmimediagroup.com<br />
kMi MeDia group<br />
Publisher<br />
Kirk Brown kirkb@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Chief Executive Officer<br />
Jack Kerrigan jack@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Chief Financial Officer<br />
Constance Kerrigan connik@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Executive Vice President<br />
David Leaf davidl@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Editor-In-Chief<br />
Jeff McKaughan jeffm@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Controller<br />
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Trade Show Coordinator<br />
Holly Foster hollyf@kmimediagroup.com<br />
Office Coordinator<br />
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operations, circulation & proDuction<br />
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a prouD<br />
MeMber oF:<br />
subscription inForMation<br />
Military Logistics Forum<br />
ISSN 1937-9315<br />
is published 10 times a year by <strong>KMI</strong> <strong>Media</strong> <strong>Group</strong>.<br />
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission is<br />
strictly forbidden. © Copyright 2011.<br />
Military Logistics Forum is free to qualified members of the<br />
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non-U.S. foreign service based in the U.S.<br />
All others: $65 per year.<br />
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Web: www.MLF-kmi.com<br />
How appropriate it is that the same month we feature a great<br />
interview with the Marine Corps’ deputy commandant, installations<br />
and logistics, Lieutenant General Frank Panter Jr., the Government<br />
Accountability Office issues a report critical of the service’s reset plans,<br />
while acknowledging the progress they have made in addressing the<br />
reset of aviation equipment; in fact crediting the Marines with a comprehensive,<br />
results-oriented strategic planning framework.<br />
With the hand that giveth, the GAO also taketh away. They fault the<br />
service for not developing a similar strategy for their ground equipment.<br />
The Marines are working the steps to develop an integrated strategy but<br />
have not publicly said when they will have the plan in place.<br />
Jeffrey D. McKaughan<br />
Editor-iN-CHiEF<br />
The point is to develop a plan that looks at the reset requirements in terms of near-term strategy<br />
but also as part of the Marine Corps ground equipment modernization plan. That being said, without<br />
a single guiding definition for reset that all services are using and interpreting in the same way, trying<br />
to measure progress or metrics common to all will be difficult if not impossible. While the report is<br />
focused on the Marine Corps, the most important recommendation that can be gleaned from the<br />
report is the indictment of the DoD that needs to develop and publish a DoD definition of reset for use<br />
in the DoD overseas contingency operations budgeting process. Once this is accomplished, then, with a<br />
common point of reference, the services can be measured against standards and know where the bar<br />
of expectation is.<br />
DoD and the services cannot take their eye off the warfighter. The need for strategic plan is not so<br />
that someone can fill in the right boxes on a form and hit the right metrics, but to have a plan that<br />
keeps the maneuver force operationally ready. All the services’ reset plans need to work within the<br />
budgets that are today’s reality—they need to wring the last drop of out<br />
of the budget for just one reason—the warfighter. Nothing else matters.<br />
As always, please feel free to<br />
drop me a line with any suggestions<br />
and comments for Military Logistics<br />
Forum.<br />
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2011 Maintenance<br />
Awards<br />
The DoD has announced the 2011 winners<br />
of the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards<br />
for depot and field-level units. These awards are<br />
presented annually to recognize outstanding<br />
achievements in weapon system and military<br />
equipment maintenance.<br />
The 2011 Robert T. Mason Depot<br />
Maintenance Excellence Award recipient is the<br />
Air Force’s KC-135 programmed depot maintenance<br />
(PDM) team at Oklahoma City Air<br />
Logistics Center. During 2010, the KC-135 PDM<br />
team made significant achievements in every<br />
segment of the production line, including<br />
numerous kitting programs that improved material<br />
availability and technician efficiency and<br />
continuous process improvements that affected<br />
several maintenance procedures. Their accomplishment<br />
of superior maintenance produced a<br />
record 55 aircraft and performed extraordinary<br />
maintenance feats to keep the over-50-yearold<br />
jets flying nearly 50,000 annual sorties in<br />
support of Operations Enduring Freedom and<br />
Iraqi Freedom and Horn of Africa missions.<br />
The depot-level award is named in recognition<br />
of Robert T. Mason, a former assistant<br />
deputy under secretary of defense for maintenance<br />
policy, programs, and resources. Mason<br />
served as the champion of organic depot maintenance<br />
for three decades and was instrumental<br />
in transforming DoD organic depot-level operations.<br />
A total of six field-level awards presented<br />
in three categories—large, medium and small.<br />
The recipients of this year’s Secretary of Defense<br />
Field-level Maintenance Awards in the large<br />
category are the Marine Corps’ 1st Maintenance<br />
Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif., and the Air<br />
Force’s 31st Maintenance <strong>Group</strong>, Aviano Air<br />
Base, Italy. Winners in the medium category are<br />
the Navy’s Fleet Readiness Center Southwest,<br />
Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, Calif., and<br />
the Army’s D Company, 6-10 Aviation Regiment,<br />
101st Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Campbell,<br />
Ky. Small category winners are the Marine<br />
Corps’ Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 1,<br />
Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., and<br />
the Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 143, Naval<br />
Air Station Oceana, Va.<br />
4 | MLF 5.7<br />
Situational Awareness Contract<br />
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop<br />
Grumman a $65 million contract to provide<br />
tactical situational awareness to airlift aircrews,<br />
fulfilling an urgent operational need for<br />
enhanced communications and an operational<br />
picture of the battlespace displayed in<br />
the cockpit.<br />
Northrop Grumman will provide Air<br />
Mobility Command with 58 mobility air forces<br />
(MAF) dynamic re-tasking capability (DRC)<br />
urgent operational need systems, including<br />
spares, before June 30, 2012. The systems will<br />
be installed in 28 C-130J and 24 C-17 aircraft.<br />
The contract also includes two years of<br />
training and payload support at four integration<br />
sites in the United States and three overseas<br />
locations.<br />
Truck Recapitalization<br />
The MAF DRC system includes a secure<br />
line-of-sight and beyond line-of-sight datalink,<br />
display systems for the pilot and co-pilot, a<br />
processor/server for command and control of<br />
the radios and displays, and presentation and<br />
recording of the existing host aircraft navigational<br />
system data.<br />
The contract was awarded by the Air Force<br />
Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force<br />
Base, Mass.<br />
This Northrop Grumman effort for the Air<br />
Mobility Command is closely related to its work<br />
on the Real Time Information in the Cockpit<br />
(RTIC) program. Under a contract awarded in<br />
September 2010, the company is providing a<br />
RTIC capability for Air National Guard and Air<br />
Force Reserve Command C-130H aircraft.<br />
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation will recapitalize 160 trucks from the<br />
U.S. Army’s family of heavy tactical vehicles (FHTV) fleet, including heavy expanded mobility<br />
tactical truck (HEMTT) A4s and palletized load system (PLS) A1s, following an order from the<br />
U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC). Through its recapitalization<br />
program, Oshkosh will restore these vehicles to the latest configuration in zero-miles/zerohours<br />
condition at significantly less than the cost of a new vehicle.<br />
“Oshkosh is helping the U.S. military maximize its investments by extending vehicles’ life<br />
spans, restoring and modernizing them with the latest technologies and armor packages,”<br />
said Mike Ivy, vice president and general manager of Army Programs for Oshkosh Defense. “As<br />
trucks have become more advanced—with better protection and improved power trains and<br />
suspensions—our recapitalization program has continued providing our customer exceptional<br />
value.”<br />
Since 1970, Oshkosh has remanufactured more than 11,000 military vehicles. In addition<br />
to recapitalizing its own vehicles, Oshkosh also upgrades vehicles originally built by other<br />
manufacturers. Oshkosh has refurbished more than 2,000 heavy-payload vehicles for the<br />
Army’s Theater Provided Equipment Refurbishment program.<br />
To recapitalize HEMTT A4s, the suspension is improved and a fully air-conditioned and<br />
armor-ready cab is installed, in addition to a more powerful drivetrain. The vehicles are fitted<br />
with new components, new technology and a new zero hours/zero miles bumper-to-bumper<br />
warranty. The HEMTT A4 is the backbone of the Army’s logistics and resupply fleet. It has a<br />
13-ton payload capacity and is available in multiple variants for a wide range of operations.<br />
The PLS is the backbone of the Army’s distribution and resupply system. Built to transport<br />
ammunition and other critical supplies needed in battle, the vehicle has been used in frontline<br />
resupply missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. The latest PLS configuration<br />
features an armor-ready cab that is common with the HEMTT A4, as well as a 600-horsepower<br />
engine, electrical upgrades and incorporation of an Oshkosh TAK-4 independent front suspension<br />
for improved off-road mobility.<br />
Recapitalization of the HEMTT and PLS vehicles is expected to begin in March 2012 and is<br />
scheduled to be completed in September 2012. The order has a value of more than $50 million.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
The U.S. Air Force and Rockwell Collins<br />
commemorated the 419th avionics delivery for<br />
the C/KC-135 Global Air Traffic Management<br />
program at a ceremony at Kelly Field in San<br />
Antonio. The delivery marks the conclusion<br />
of a 100 percent on time, on budget program<br />
providing the Air Force C/KC-135 fleet with<br />
unhindered access to global air routes, enabling<br />
the tanker fleet with enhanced mission effectiveness<br />
while saving fuel.<br />
“This program set a new performance<br />
Renewable Energy Impact Projects<br />
Impact on Military Missions<br />
The Department of Defense announced<br />
recently that a comprehensive review of 249 renewable<br />
energy projects proposed in 35 states and<br />
Puerto Rico found that 229 have little or no impact<br />
on military missions, thus clearing the way for the<br />
future production of more than 10 gigawatts of<br />
renewable energy generation capacity.<br />
This review involved approximately 6,500 wind<br />
turbines and 30 solar projects. The complete list of<br />
the projects can be viewed at http://go.usa.gov/bce.<br />
These new energy projects will increase the<br />
nation’s energy security while ensuring that<br />
our military services have the test capabilities,<br />
training venues, and equipment to help keep<br />
America safe.<br />
The DoD will undertake further studies and<br />
negotiations with developers, in consultation with<br />
the appropriate federal agencies and state and<br />
local governments of the 20 projects that may pose<br />
adverse impacts on military readiness and operations.<br />
The department’s goal in those negotiations<br />
will be to mitigate any potential adverse effects and<br />
allow the projects to move forward that are found<br />
to have little or no impact on military missions.<br />
STG Receives Logistics Contract<br />
STG Inc. has been awarded a $3.25 million<br />
prime contract to support the National Warheads<br />
and Energetics/Defense Ordnance Technology<br />
Consortium Logistics Research and Engineering<br />
Directorate (LRED). Under the terms of the<br />
contract, STG will provide support in improving<br />
the reliability, maintainability and availability<br />
of government-specified munitions and armament<br />
systems while minimizing the life cycle<br />
cost and logistics footprint.<br />
“Using the latest technologies, STG will help<br />
detect and predict potential issues early in the<br />
design and development stages to mitigate their<br />
impact on the field,” said Jim Felter, STG senior<br />
vice president, defense sector.<br />
The logistics engineering services<br />
performed under this initiative will enable<br />
419th C/KC-135 and Counting<br />
standard for Air Force procurements with 100<br />
percent of the upgraded aircraft delivered on<br />
time and within budget,” said Dave Nieuwsma,<br />
vice president and general manager of mobility<br />
and rotary wing solutions for Rockwell Collins.<br />
As the prime contractor and flight deck<br />
systems integrator, Rockwell Collins provided<br />
technology through an open systems approach<br />
that upgrades the aircraft with a variety of<br />
communications, navigation, surveillance/air<br />
traffic management products.<br />
the constant measurement and improvement<br />
of logistics solutions for governmentspecified<br />
armaments and munitions systems.<br />
The Enterprise Systems Integration Center,<br />
LRED, Life Cycle Supportability Division has a<br />
commitment to developing and rapidly delivering<br />
superior armament logistics technology,<br />
products and services to the warfighter.<br />
“STG has supported LRED for many years<br />
in other areas of logistics and engineering<br />
analyses and has a well-earned reputation for<br />
providing unsurpassed support services,” said<br />
Simon Lee, STG president and CEO. “Time and<br />
again, we have shown that our analyses are<br />
accurate and concise and offer proven, repeatable<br />
results designed to evolve throughout<br />
their life cycles.”<br />
Compiled by <strong>KMI</strong> <strong>Media</strong> <strong>Group</strong> staff<br />
Rockwell Collins continues to support the<br />
Air Force in upgrading the C/KC-135 with new<br />
capabilities. In 2009, the Air Force selected<br />
Rockwell Collins for the engineering, manufacturing<br />
and development phase of the C/KC-135<br />
Block 45 cockpit upgrade program. Under<br />
this contract, Rockwell Collins will further<br />
modernize the C/KC-135 refueling tanker’s<br />
flight deck with the latest generation autopilot,<br />
flight director, radar altimeter and electronic<br />
engine instrument display.<br />
Military Sealift<br />
Command Support<br />
Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) has<br />
been awarded a multi-year contract for<br />
the operation and maintenance of five<br />
container and roll-on/roll-off ships in<br />
support of the Military Sealift Command’s<br />
(MSC) Prepositioning Program.<br />
“We are extremely honored and proud<br />
of this award. Winning this contract once<br />
again after our resubmission is a true<br />
testament of MSC’s trust in our capability<br />
and performance. We feel confident in our<br />
ability to support our customer’s requirements<br />
by drawing from our extensive<br />
operational and technical experience,”<br />
said Scott Cimring, MLL’s senior director<br />
of government ship management.<br />
These Bobo-class vessels, essential<br />
in the U.S. military’s readiness strategy,<br />
will be crewed by civilian mariners and<br />
deployed worldwide to preposition equipment<br />
and supplies at sea. MSC strategically<br />
places military equipment and<br />
supplies aboard these ships in key ocean<br />
areas to ensure rapid availability during<br />
military operation and humanitarian<br />
relief.<br />
This contract will begin in September<br />
2011, and consists of a base period of 30<br />
days with four one-year options. If all<br />
options are exercised, the total contract<br />
value will reach approximately $126<br />
million, excluding reimbursable expenses<br />
and performance incentives.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 5
Compiled by <strong>KMI</strong> <strong>Media</strong> <strong>Group</strong> staff<br />
people<br />
Gen. William M. Fraser III<br />
General William<br />
M. Fraser III has<br />
been nominated for<br />
reappointment to the<br />
rank of general and for<br />
assignment as commander,<br />
U.S. Transportation<br />
Command, Scott Air Force<br />
Base, Ill. Fraser is currently<br />
serving as commander,<br />
Air Combat Command,<br />
Langley Air Force Base, Va.<br />
Brett B. Lambert has<br />
been assigned as deputy<br />
assistant secretary of<br />
defense (manufacturing<br />
and industrial base<br />
policy), Office of the<br />
Under Secretary of Defense<br />
(Acquisition, Technology<br />
and Logistics), Washington,<br />
D.C. Lambert previously<br />
served as deputy assistant<br />
secretary of defense<br />
(industrial policy), Office<br />
of the Under Secretary<br />
of Defense (Acquisition,<br />
Technology and Logistics),<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
Captain Matthew J.<br />
Carter, who has been<br />
selected for promotion<br />
to rear admiral (lower<br />
half), will be assigned<br />
as commander, Patrol<br />
and Reconnaissance<br />
Fifth/Seventh Fleet,<br />
Atsugi, Japan. Carter<br />
is currently serving as<br />
6 | MLF 5.7<br />
executive assistant to<br />
the commander, U.S.<br />
Transportation Command,<br />
Scott Air Force Base, Ill.<br />
Captain Lawrence E.<br />
Creevy, who has been<br />
selected for promotion<br />
to rear admiral (lower<br />
half), will be assigned<br />
as fleet maintenance<br />
officer, U.S. Fleet Forces<br />
Command, Norfolk, Va.<br />
Creevy is currently serving<br />
as executive assistant to<br />
the commander, Naval<br />
Sea System Command,<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
Captain John G. King,<br />
who has been selected for<br />
promotion to rear admiral<br />
(lower half), will be<br />
assigned as commander,<br />
Naval Inventory Control<br />
Point, Philadelphia/<br />
Mechanicsburg,<br />
Philadelphia, Pa. King<br />
is currently serving as<br />
deputy commander for<br />
fleet logistics operations,<br />
N4, Naval Supply<br />
Systems Command,<br />
Mechanicsburg, Pa.<br />
Captain John C. Scorby,<br />
who has been selected<br />
for promotion to rear<br />
admiral (lower half),<br />
will be assigned as<br />
commander, Navy Region<br />
Southeast, Jacksonville,<br />
Fla. Scorby is currently<br />
serving as executive<br />
assistant to the assistant<br />
secretary of the Navy<br />
for energy, installations,<br />
and environment,<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
Maj. Gen. Janet C.<br />
Wolfenbarger<br />
Air Force Major<br />
General Janet C.<br />
Wolfenbarger has<br />
been nominated for<br />
appointment to the rank<br />
of lieutenant general<br />
and for assignment<br />
as military deputy,<br />
Office of the Assistant<br />
Secretary of the Air<br />
Force for Acquisition,<br />
Pentagon, Washington,<br />
D.C. Wolfenbarger is<br />
currently serving as vice<br />
commander, Air Force<br />
Materiel Command,<br />
Wright-Patterson Air<br />
Force Base, Ohio.<br />
Air Force Major<br />
General Clyde<br />
D. Moore II has<br />
been nominated for<br />
appointment to the rank<br />
of lieutenant general<br />
and for assignment<br />
as vice commander,<br />
Air Force Materiel<br />
Command, Wright-<br />
Patterson Air Force Base,<br />
Ohio. Moore is currently<br />
serving as the deputy<br />
director, Joint Strike<br />
Fighter Program Office,<br />
Office of the Under<br />
Secretary of Defense<br />
(Acquisition, Technology<br />
and Logistics),<br />
Arlington, Va.<br />
Rear Admiral (lower<br />
half) Mark J. Belton,<br />
who has been selected<br />
for promotion to<br />
rear admiral, will be<br />
assigned as commander,<br />
Navy Expeditionary<br />
Logistics Support <strong>Group</strong>,<br />
Williamsburg, Va. Belton<br />
is currently serving as<br />
reserve director, supply,<br />
Ordnance and Logistics<br />
Operations Division,<br />
N41, Office of the Chief<br />
of Naval Operations,<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
Captain Scott A.<br />
Stearney, who has been<br />
selected for promotion<br />
to rear admiral (lower<br />
half), will be assigned<br />
as commander, Joint<br />
Enabling Capabilities<br />
Command, U.S.<br />
Transportation<br />
Command, Suffolk, Va.<br />
Stearney is currently<br />
serving as chief of staff,<br />
Strike Force Training<br />
Atlantic, Norfolk, Va.<br />
Army Brigadier General<br />
John R. O’Connor<br />
has been nominated<br />
for appointment to the<br />
rank of major general.<br />
O’Connor is currently<br />
serving as deputy chief<br />
of staff, G-4, U.S. Army<br />
Forces Command, Fort<br />
Bragg, N.C.<br />
Army Brigadier General<br />
Lynn A. Collyar has<br />
been nominated for<br />
appointment to the rank<br />
of major general. Collyar<br />
is currently serving<br />
as director, logistics<br />
operations, Defense<br />
Logistics Agency, Fort<br />
Belvoir, Va.<br />
Army Brigadier General<br />
Gustave F. Perna has<br />
been nominated for<br />
appointment to the rank<br />
of major general. Perna<br />
is currently serving as<br />
commanding general,<br />
joint munitions lethality,<br />
Life Cycle Management<br />
Command/Joint<br />
Munitions Command,<br />
Rock Island, Ill.<br />
Army Reserve<br />
Brigadier General<br />
Margaret W. Boor has<br />
been nominated for<br />
appointment to the rank<br />
of major general and for<br />
assignment as deputy<br />
director for logistics<br />
operations, J-4, The Joint<br />
Staff, Washington, D.C.<br />
Boor is currently serving<br />
as the chief of staff,<br />
Defense Logistics Agency,<br />
Operation Enduring<br />
Freedom, Afghanistan.<br />
AAR Corp. has announced<br />
that Andrew J. Schmidt<br />
has joined the company<br />
as senior vice president,<br />
supply chain, AAR Allen<br />
Asset Management. In<br />
this capacity, Schmidt<br />
will be responsible<br />
for providing strategy,<br />
business planning and<br />
operational leadership<br />
for the division and<br />
will drive initiatives to<br />
enhance the performance<br />
of all AAR’s aftermarket<br />
business.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
Gimme Shelter<br />
Keeping Mother nature on the outside.<br />
Providing comfort to weary warriors,<br />
a conducive environment for a<br />
command post or clean atmosphere for<br />
a medical treatment center, portable<br />
shelters have been a staple of expeditionary<br />
warfare.<br />
Alaska Structures Inc.<br />
Don Diesel<br />
President, BLU-MED Division<br />
ddiesel@alaskastructures.com<br />
Alaska Structures Inc. (AKS) recently intro-<br />
duced a Solar Fly that can be installed over any Alaska small<br />
shelter or Alaska medical shelter. The AK Solar Fly utilizes an<br />
advanced netting fabric and a high strength lightweight aerospace<br />
aluminum alloy frame system. Eliminating 85 percent of the visible<br />
solar radiation, testing of the Solar Fly has proven its ability<br />
to reduce environmental control unit (ECU) power consumption<br />
by up to 17 percent during peak solar conditions. The Solar Fly kit<br />
only takes 10 minutes to install with two people. The proprietary<br />
material is lightweight, flame-resistant and resistant to degradation<br />
by UV light and mildew.<br />
AKS has also introduced a second energy-saving technology,<br />
the EnerLayer insulation system. Testing at White Sands Missile<br />
Range Climatic Test Facility has shown that EnerLayer installed in<br />
an Alaska small shelter or Alaska medical shelter will reduce the<br />
air conditioning required to maintain a 70 F interior temperature<br />
at 125 F ambient temperature by 22 percent. At cold temperatures<br />
of -25 F, the amount of heat required to maintain an interior temperature<br />
of 70 F is reduced by 35 percent. The insulation material<br />
Military Logistics Forum recently<br />
had the opportunity to talk to a few<br />
shelter manufacturers and gather the<br />
quick points about what they thought<br />
the state-of-the-art was for shelter<br />
technology and where they could go<br />
from here. Each company was asked<br />
to address what technologies and<br />
design innovations that they are basing<br />
the evolution of their shelters on to<br />
meet the needs of the next generation<br />
warfighter.<br />
is non-toxic, fire-resistant and reusable. EnerLayer is available as<br />
a retrofit kit or with new shelters, and installation time is less than<br />
30 minutes with two people.<br />
The combination of EnerLayer and the AK Solar Fly provide<br />
a synergistic energy saving capability that, through realistic milstandard<br />
environmental testing, has been shown to reduce by 33<br />
percent the air conditioning required to maintain a 70 F interior<br />
temperature at 125 F. It is estimated that the “payback time” for<br />
the EnerLayer and the AK Solar Fly is less than six months, and it<br />
can save up to 2,650 gallons of fuel per year for a single shelter<br />
with 5-ton ECU. More importantly, these energy saving products<br />
will reduce the amount of fuel convoys in the field, thereby reducing<br />
the chances of our soldiers and support contractors being<br />
attacked.<br />
Alaska Structures is the world’s leader in fabric shelter systems.<br />
Since 1999, AKS has delivered over 30,000 military shelters<br />
to DoD, the British MoD, NATO forces and the Australian Defence<br />
Force. AKS has a robust research and development division, and<br />
has recently focused efforts toward energy savings technologies.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 7
HDT Global<br />
Mike Stolarz<br />
Vice President, Business Development<br />
HDT Global is widely recognized for its industry-leading pro-<br />
duction of state-of-the-art, fully integrated deployable solutions.<br />
The U.S. and allied military units stationed worldwide are currently<br />
using our systems, including shelter systems, generators, heaters<br />
and air filtration devices.<br />
In line with current U.S. government and Department of<br />
Defense initiatives to reduce power consumption, HDT has<br />
recently placed a major focus on energy efficiency. With an insulation<br />
factor inherent in the design of the Base-X and AirBeam<br />
shelter lines, many of HDT’s new products leverage that efficiency<br />
through power management and alternative resources. Several<br />
power-saving add-on products also contribute to HDT’s current<br />
mission toward energy efficiency, including the HDT Shade Fly and<br />
Radiant Barrier, which dramatically decrease shelter heating and<br />
cooling loads, lowering fuel consumption associated with environmental<br />
control technology.<br />
In addition to add-on shelter components that increase inherent<br />
efficiency, HDT Micro-Grid technology is at the center of<br />
the expeditionary system power management system. The HDT<br />
Micro-Grid is designed to greatly reduce or eliminate the need<br />
for generators and associated fuel. The focus of this effort is to<br />
develop advanced capabilities in power generation and power<br />
management with an emphasis on maximizing the benefits of<br />
alternative power sources, thereby reducing the reliance on fossil<br />
fuel-burning generators.<br />
The old saying, “nothing stays the same,” rings<br />
true when it comes to modern warfare. At AAR<br />
Mobility Systems, our shelters have evolved with the changing terrain<br />
to provide durable and secure environments for our soldiers<br />
on any battlefield.<br />
AAR has been in a continuous stage of evolution since we<br />
began manufacturing aluminum cargo pallets for the United States<br />
Air Force in 1963. We designed our first intermodal AAR ISU containers<br />
to maximize cargo per pallet position and protect it from<br />
the elements. Certified to DoD standards, our containers simplify<br />
loading and off-loading cargo from aircraft, and they are Helo-lift<br />
certified for delivery of loads to remote areas. In the early 1990s,<br />
our containers started serving as living quarters and command<br />
posts, as troops were deployed to the desert and better working<br />
conditions became a necessity. We modified our base products<br />
into a new line of Air Mobile Shelters (AMS) that include insulation,<br />
electrical systems and ECUs, while maintaining the functional loading<br />
and lifting characteristics of our pallets and containers.<br />
To minimize the footprint required to transport our shelters, we<br />
offer them as one- and two-pallet position shelters with optional<br />
soft- and hard-sided wing walls that can triple the usable footprint<br />
when deployed. Aluminum construction keeps the gross weight<br />
8 | MLF 5.7<br />
AAR Mobility Systems<br />
Phillip Adams<br />
Director of Sales<br />
HDT Micro-Grid features:<br />
• Independent single-phase and three-phase micro-grids that<br />
will leverage the use of individual man-portable solar power<br />
systems for distribution to two and up to twelve shelters.<br />
• Incorporated expeditionary functional modularity. The<br />
system operates using man-portable or HMMWV towable<br />
components to increase mission flexibility.<br />
• Intelligent generator controls including methods for<br />
integrating the Tactically Quiet Generator family into the<br />
intelligent network as backup power and auxiliary power<br />
during periods of peak demand.<br />
HDT’s Expeditionary Shelter Systems, which encompass the<br />
Base-X and AirBeam lines, are turn-key, mobile facilities for command<br />
posts, hospitals, military living quarters, emergency medical<br />
treatment units, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear<br />
decontamination facilities, and operations centers requiring command<br />
and control functionality. Not only do the new shelter solutions<br />
save resources and money, they ultimately protect the lives<br />
of men and women in uniform, deploying 30 to 50 percent faster<br />
than other shelters on the market and reducing logistics requirements.<br />
HDT’s products are built for tough people performing tough<br />
jobs.<br />
low so warfighters can maximize their payload, while promoting<br />
lower fuel consumption—all key challenges for transporting rigid<br />
wall shelters to theater.<br />
The warfighter can also benefit from our lightweight aluminum<br />
ISO shelters, which have been proven durable through 20 years of<br />
simulated usage at U.S. Army proving grounds, and have passed<br />
the MIL-SPEC-901D ship shock test. The use of aluminum versus<br />
steel typically translates into a weight savings of 2,000 pounds<br />
(non-expandable) to 2,500 pounds (expandable) per shelter. Once<br />
fielded, one user can be operational in less than 20 minutes in an<br />
environment that offers EMI 60dB shielding effectiveness to ASTM-<br />
E-1925 (an option available in each of our ISO variants), making<br />
them ideal for secure command and control and situational awareness<br />
ground stations.<br />
AAR’s newest offering for vehicle mounted shelters includes<br />
the Lightweight Multipurpose Shelter, which utilizes friction stir<br />
welding to promote superior EMI shielding and a new level of<br />
modularity. Panels can easily be shortened or lengthened to meet<br />
mission requirements.<br />
The most unique thing we offer our troops is a variety of products<br />
that go virtually anywhere, by land, sea or air. Wherever you<br />
are going, you can count on AAR Mobility Systems to get you there.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
Better ideas. Better innovations. And better implementation to suit the needs<br />
of those in the fi eld. At HDT, world-class engineering leads to world-renowned<br />
products through a process that pairs the brightest minds in the business<br />
In the battle of brains vs. brawn,<br />
we opted to take both sides.<br />
with experts who’ve earned their stripes in the fi eld. In the end, that means<br />
expeditionary systems and components that are as smart as they are strong.<br />
Just like the forces that rely on them to work fl awlessly day after day.<br />
SHELTER SYSTEMS GENERATORS HEATERS/AIR CONDITIONERS NEW TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PARACHUTES ROBOTICS<br />
hdtglobal.com
Whether they are surrounded by sand and dust in extreme temperatures<br />
or accommodating atmospheric pressure changes from<br />
sea level upward, rugged laptops and tablets have continued to expedite<br />
military logistics operations as they absorb the latest technology<br />
and meet the toughest military standards.<br />
While rugged laptop providers have focused on specific military<br />
branches and areas of functionality, some processes, such as flight<br />
line maintenance, break across all branches, from Air Force aircraft<br />
and Army helicopters to Navy aircraft carriers. The environmental<br />
conditions differ and logistics functions range from simple to complex,<br />
but all the forces use rugged laptops for logistics in one way<br />
or another.<br />
MIL-STD-810G is one of several military standards that qualify<br />
notebooks and tablets as rugged. As the latest iteration of the 810<br />
test series, it tests for a broader number of environmental conditions<br />
than ever before to certify the most rugged laptops. Achieving 810G<br />
means a rugged laptop can perform the checking, testing, tracking<br />
and repair in a variety of logistics operations and situations, including<br />
the most crucial, active missions.<br />
“Requirements for rugged laptops have become much tougher<br />
throughout the years, as lessons learned from the previous generation<br />
of product lines are built into specifications for the next generation<br />
technology and operational need,” said Julie Briggs, CEO of VT Miltope,<br />
Hope Hull, Ala. “We meet the 810G and 461F military standards,<br />
10 | MLF 5.7<br />
the concept of rugged coMputers is not new, but innovative technology has led to innovations.<br />
Image courtesy of Panasonic<br />
by cheryl gerber<br />
Mlf correspondent<br />
we offer a standard five-year warranty on our laptop products and we<br />
own and manufacture our own designs in the U.S.,” she said.<br />
The Army Maintenance Support Device (MSD) uses two VT<br />
Miltope rugged laptops, the RCLC-1 (Rugged Convertible Laptop<br />
Computer) with a 10.6-inch display and the RCLC-2 with a 14.1inch<br />
display. MSD Version 3 is a rugged automatic tester that<br />
performs quick diagnoses and fault isolation on the Army’s aircraft<br />
and vehicles while functioning as an interactive electronic technical<br />
manual on electronic technical manual reader.<br />
MIL-STD 810 and MIL-STD-461 are commonly used in the<br />
specification of requirements for the qualification of rugged computers.<br />
Among many tests, MIL-STD 810G, Methods 501.5 and<br />
502.5, Procedure II, are used to test operating temperature while<br />
Procedure I of those methods is used for storage temperature<br />
testing.<br />
MIL-STD 461F is the testing specification and standard for<br />
military electronics suppliers, which covers inter-service operability<br />
issues. It involves conducted and radiated emissions and<br />
susceptibility.<br />
The Army MSD V3 uploads and verifies software to restore<br />
or provide new technology to weapons systems. It supports the<br />
testing requirements of the Army, current to future force weapons<br />
systems and operates at temperature ranges up to 160 degrees<br />
Fahrenheit in the rain, sand and dust.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
Joint-capable<br />
in combat with<br />
25,101 SyStemS<br />
DelivereD.<br />
When the U.S. Army needed a joint-ready, ultra-rugged computer for their Movement<br />
Tracking System (MTS), they turned to a proven winner. The DRS Joint Platform Tablet<br />
(JPT). Already fielded within other programs, the JPT’s innovative technology operates<br />
across multiple branches. Key among its features is the ability to be dismountable as<br />
well as provide in-transit visibility. And because it’s future-proof, it’s as battle-ready<br />
tomorrow as it is today.<br />
Chosen For The U.S. Army’s Movement Tracking System.<br />
That’s Go To.<br />
DRS.com<br />
Photo: U.S. Army
The MSD falls under the Army’s Integrated Family of Test Equipment,<br />
At-Platform Automatic Test Systems. MSD-V3 (Version 3). It<br />
is designed and tested specifically to withstand the harshest tactical<br />
environments. “VT Miltope worked with Army maintainers and logisticians<br />
to establish the requirements for RCLC-1 that is the basis of<br />
the MSD-V3,” Briggs noted.<br />
The Army uses DRS military rugged tablets (MRT) for its movement<br />
tracking system (MTS), mortar fire control station and intelligent<br />
munitions systems. The DRS MRT maintains communications<br />
and location visibility of Army vehicles in theater.<br />
“The MRT is a logisticians program, as it provides in-transit<br />
visibility to identify cargo with RFID tags which are on vehicles in<br />
transit,” said Bill Guyan, vice president, programs<br />
and strategy, DRS Tactical Systems Inc. “On a map<br />
interface they can click on a vehicle to determine what<br />
type of cargo is on that vehicle and where it is located<br />
in transit,” he said.<br />
“These systems are meant to deliver three critical<br />
pieces of information to the soldier: Where am I?<br />
Where is my buddy? Where is the enemy?” said Guyan.<br />
“MTS identifies position, tracks progress, maintains<br />
in-transit visibility of critical logistics assets and<br />
Dell has a line of rugged solutions designed specifically for military<br />
customers. Their current fully-rugged E6420 XFR notebook has<br />
replaced the E6400 XFR—and each have met Mil Standard 810G<br />
specs and are built around our Latitude business notebooks. Additionally,<br />
they also have the semi-rugged E6420 ATG system used by<br />
military customers, though it is not fully rugged, offers top-of-the-line<br />
performance and help to increase the capabilities of an increasingly<br />
mobile military.<br />
“The Army has been one of our major customers as Dell has<br />
developed and refined our rugged portfolio, but as we have refined our<br />
solutions, we’ve begun to span all of the armed forces,” said Trickey.<br />
The Navy and Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard also use Dell’s rugged<br />
products.<br />
The Army is now leveraging commonality between<br />
its MTS and Blue Force Tracking (BFT) systems,<br />
sharing network management and operations while<br />
upgrading technology. Responsibility for the two systems<br />
shifted in April to the Program Executive Office<br />
for Command Control and Communications-Tactical<br />
(PEO C3T), Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and<br />
Below (FBCB2) program office.<br />
As part of the FBCB2 program, ViaSat Inc. is work-<br />
communicates with the operators of MTS-enabled<br />
ing on the next generation of Blue Force Tracking for<br />
tactical wheeled vehicles through the use of position-<br />
bill Guyan the Army and Marine Corps. The BFT-2 will bring realing<br />
and commercial communications satellites,” said<br />
time networking for logisticians and warfighters with<br />
Ralston Mims, deputy product director for the Army<br />
ViaSat’s next-generation transceivers, which provide<br />
product office for MTS.<br />
high throughput and position location information<br />
“It incorporates global positioning system (GPS),<br />
refresh rates.<br />
radio frequency identification (RFID) and non-line-<br />
“Part of the Army’s convergence strategy is comof-sight<br />
communications and mapping technologies<br />
monality in hardware and satellite transceiver as the<br />
into a package that provides vehicle and cargo visibility<br />
Army migrates to the Joint Battle Command Platform<br />
throughout the world,” Mims said.<br />
(JBC-P). There will be a common look and feel to<br />
The DRS MRT meets MIL-STD 810F and 461E. In<br />
the user interface, interoperability between systems<br />
addition to PCMCIA slots, the rugged tablet supports<br />
hardware and common communications hardware to<br />
standard communication devices such as a TacLink<br />
reduce support costs,” said Guyan. “The Army will be<br />
and PCIDM modems. The MRT can accommodate a<br />
Julie briggs<br />
able to reduce costs by buying more satellite time with<br />
GPS or additional radio system. The 10.4-inch XGA or<br />
volume discounts,” he said.<br />
SVGA displays use 5-wire touch screens and are NVIS (night vision The BFT-2 will give network users real-time position accuracy<br />
imaging system)-capable. An anti-spoofing module is an option. and situational awareness by using a ground vehicular transceiver<br />
Impact and shock are the main threats to notebooks in the field. or aviation transceiver to communicate with one of up to 10 satellite<br />
Dell, which recently launched its 3rd generation of rugged products, channels back to a satellite ground station.<br />
has gained expertise through close customer relationships and years The BFT-2 will provide small satellite terminals for ground<br />
of building and designing enterprise-class notebooks and computers vehicles and small aircraft and hub equipment for high-speed two-way<br />
have gone into the design of their rugged solutions as well.<br />
access to ground and airborne terminals. FIPS 140-2 Level 2 data link<br />
“Design points we at Dell have implemented such as solid state security will protect it from adversarial traffic analysis and data prob-<br />
HHDs, bumpers placed at the corners, as well as additional materials ing, while network operations center (NOC) equipment will provide<br />
are designed to better resist impacts,” said Joe Trickey, Dell’s rugged network monitoring and a backbone network will connect the NOCs<br />
and digital forensics marketing brand manager. “To further protect into an interoperable network. The BFT-2 will be integrated with<br />
against shock or impact damage, we also use a composition polymer FBCB2 software and will provide engineering services in support of<br />
over a mag alloy shell to ruggedize its notebooks which stands over the BFT-2 network.<br />
and above the mag shell used by our competitors. We have also hard- The FBCB2 program office and the logistics community are workened<br />
another potentially vulnerable spot through our fully enclosed ing on a new software version, the Joint Capabilities Release–Logistics<br />
fan design that allows the system to support the full range of processor (JCR-Log) which uses the software and functionality of the combined<br />
and computer power while keeping the system cool and also allowing MTS and BFT. The new software will provide two-way situational<br />
for liquids to drain from the system. The bezel protection around the awareness with maneuver force operations, embedded equipment<br />
display protects the display glass against impacts and scratches.” diagnostic and prognostic integration, as well as interfaces with<br />
Dust and water protection is another area of potential vulner- Global Combat Service Support-Army, Battle Command Sustainment<br />
ability that is protected against at the access points on Dell’s rugged and Support System and Transportation Coordinators’ Automated<br />
solutions.<br />
Information for Movements System servers.<br />
12 | MLF 5.7<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
Computers · Disk Drives · Mass Storage · Printers · Network Communication Devices · Product Support for Military & Commercial Applications<br />
MISSION READY. SET. GO.<br />
A Case for Rugged… As a mobile clamshell or tablet, VT Miltope’s new RCLC-1 rugged convertible laptop is mission-ready<br />
in any form. The RCLC-1 is an integral part of the MSD-V3 program developed for the U.S. Army’s At-Platform Automatic Test<br />
Systems (APATS) Integrated Family of Test Equipment (IFTE). Our family of HARD WEAR sets the standard for rugged military<br />
computing. Built rugged down to their core processors, our products improve warfighter’s ability to perform maintenance<br />
missions in extreme environments and challenging tactical conditions. The VT Miltope Family… mission-ready in the hangar,<br />
on the flightline, or on the move. MILTOPE.COM
When it is released in 2012, the new system for logistics tracking<br />
will be the principal command and control system for the Army and<br />
Marine Corps. As a vehicle-based tracking and messaging system,<br />
MTS incorporates the use of positioning and commercial satellites,<br />
two-way text messaging, digital maps, encryption, and military GPS<br />
and RFID technologies. The new system will enhance the ability to<br />
track vehicle locations while maintaining visibility of logistics assets<br />
and critical communications links between vehicle operators and<br />
systems control stations.<br />
“The Navy Seals used the fully rugged Toughbook CF-19s in the<br />
Osama bin Laden mission,” noted Tim Collins, director, defense and<br />
intelligence, Panasonic Solutions Co. “The CF-19 and the Toughbook<br />
31 are 810G and IP-65 tested for dust and water incursion,” he said.<br />
A system with an IP-65 certification will withstand exposure to dust<br />
and water better than an IP-54 certification. The “6” in the Ingress<br />
Protection (IP)-65 rating indicates degree of resistance to dust, while<br />
the “5” refers to level of protection from liquids.<br />
The Air Force uses the Panasonic Toughbook 19 and 31 products<br />
for flight line maintenance and diagnostics. “They plug into<br />
the aircraft to download diagnostics information, interpret data for<br />
maintenance and analyze performance,” Collins said.<br />
The Army Maintenance Support Device (MSD) uses two VT<br />
Miltope rugged laptops, the RCLC-1 (Rugged Convertible Laptop<br />
Computer) with a 10.6-inch display and the RCLC-2 with a 14.1-inch<br />
display. MSD Version 3 is a rugged automatic tester that performs<br />
quick diagnoses and fault isolation on the Army’s aircraft and vehicles<br />
while functioning as an interactive electronic technical manual<br />
on electronic technical manual reader.<br />
In recent years, the Air Force has also been using Getac B300 and<br />
V100 rugged notebooks for logistics aircraft maintenance. The Getac<br />
V100 or V200 convertible notebooks can be used as tablets for diagram<br />
or schematic lookup with parts ordering via the touch screen,<br />
while the B300 is a laptop configuration.<br />
“Utilizing Getac’s high-powered 100mA Wi-Fi, the Air Force has a<br />
signal on the tarmac while working inside the fuselage of the aircraft.<br />
This allows for maintenance on the aircraft while ordering parts<br />
using the laptop in real time. The live connection also allows for full<br />
lookup of mechanical maintenance reference files,” said John Lamb,<br />
Getac marketing manager.<br />
The Getac B300 and V100 meet MIL-STD 810-G and 461F standards.<br />
“The V100 gives logiticians the ability to read mechanical<br />
maintenance reference files online while in planes or out on the Tarmac,”<br />
said Lamb. The GetacV100 notebook/tablet includes an Intel<br />
Core i7 processor running at 1.2GHz with Turbo Boost technology<br />
up to 2.26 GHz. The B300 rugged notebook contains a 2.0 GHz Intel<br />
Core i7 processor with Turbo Boast up to 2.8 GHz.<br />
Getac screens are based on an enhanced QuadraClear display.<br />
“The sunlight-readable display assists in viewing at high noon outside<br />
of an aircraft while the Wi-Fi is useful inside the aircraft,” he<br />
said.<br />
In May, Panasonic Solutions Co. pumped out the Toughbook 31<br />
fully rugged laptop upgrade, with Intel Core i5 and i3 processors,<br />
increased RAM, speed and hard drive capacity, more than 20 hours<br />
of battery life, and a brighter, sunlight-viewable screen. The 31 also<br />
delivers the improvements in 3-D graphics needed for geographic<br />
information systems (GIS) and other graphics-rich applications.<br />
One month later, in June, PSC produced the latest version of its<br />
Toughbook 19 fully rugged convertible tablet with a standard voltage<br />
processor and Intel HD 3000 graphics. The device still does not<br />
14 | MLF 5.7<br />
require a fan and comes with 4GB RAM expandable to 8GB, running<br />
32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 Professional.<br />
The 10.1-inch XGA touch screen on the latest Toughbook 19 has<br />
a Transflective Plus display with adjustable LED backlight. The LED<br />
backlight is useful in dimly lit areas or for concealed nighttime use.<br />
Anti-reflective, anti-glare screen treatments and a polarizing filter<br />
improve outdoor viewing.<br />
One of the latest technologies to enter the rugged mobile world<br />
of military logistics is the Android operating system, which is based<br />
on Linux. When Android mobile tablets first seized a portion of the<br />
consumer market, they did not provide the functionality needed for<br />
mission-critical military logistics environments, such as flight line<br />
maintenance. One issue was readability of the screens outdoors. Others<br />
were security and durability.<br />
However, the Android mobile tablet will go rugged and address<br />
those issues this year. One example, to be released in Q4 2011, is the<br />
enterprise-grade, Android-based Panasonic Toughbook H2 tablet. The<br />
daylight viewable screen will address outdoor readability issue by providing<br />
high brightness to allow mobile logisticians to see critical data<br />
and operate the device despite the lighting conditions. The rugged<br />
Android tablet will include an active stylus to capture signatures on<br />
the multi-touch display, a satellite-based GPS and full-shift battery life.<br />
“The Air Force is looking at the H2, has tested it and is now beginning<br />
to buy the H2 for flight line maintenance applications,” said<br />
Collins.<br />
However, while smaller handheld, rugged mobile devices will be<br />
useful for certain functionality, they will not likely be used for mission<br />
critical mapping or GIS, for example, where large screens showing<br />
both detail and context at once are needed.<br />
“Although there is a trend toward smaller and lighter mobile<br />
devices, like rugged handhelds and tablets, the devices are also<br />
becoming more application specific,” said Briggs. “The technology<br />
has enabled us to respond to many different requirements, including<br />
larger or smaller displays depending on the detail or resolution<br />
required,” she said.<br />
“The Army was standardizing on the 10.6-inch display but some<br />
users wanted a larger 14.1-inch display, so now they will buy both,” she<br />
said “We will see the 10.6-inch used for the at platform maintenance of<br />
Army systems such as helicopters trucks, heavy vehicles and missiles<br />
and the 14.1-inch display used for more detailed schematics in the<br />
back shop,” she said.<br />
As to what lies ahead in ruggedized technology advancements,<br />
Dell’s Trickey added, “I think that there are a lot of different technologies<br />
that are coming together that will impact the notebook and, by<br />
extension, the rugged market. Developments such as 4G,broadband,<br />
GPS, Wi-Fi that provide better connections, easier transitions between<br />
system global communications, faster productivity and data transfer<br />
will better allow those in remote areas to have the same work capabilities<br />
as those in protected environments. Combining this with improvements<br />
in graphical devices and the reduction in chip sizes that will<br />
allow rugged notebooks to have greatly increased capability similar to<br />
what you might find in high-end workstations, this will help to allow<br />
for powerful operations in rugged environments, maximizing what<br />
warfighters can do in forward environments.” O<br />
For more information, contact MLF Editor Jeff McKaughan at<br />
jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
By William J. Begert<br />
William J. Begert<br />
In any successful mission, proper logistics is paramount.<br />
I witnessed this firsthand when I served as director of Operations<br />
and Logistics for the U.S. Transportation Command. During that time, I<br />
learned whether you are planning and carrying out the movement and<br />
maintenance of forces or the delivery of products and services, logistics<br />
is a critical part of that work.<br />
I discovered that, in the most comprehensive sense, most aspects of<br />
operations—which deals with design, development, acquisition, storage,<br />
movement, distribution, maintenance and disposition of materiel—are<br />
based on good logistics and planning. In today’s environment, logistics<br />
also means increasing efficiency, reducing cost, exploring markets and<br />
serving customers.<br />
In my current role with Pratt & Whitney, I see logistics covering<br />
a broad portion of our value chain. To manage the complex ballet of<br />
logistics, Pratt & Whitney has long been on the leading edge of material<br />
resource planning and then enterprise resource planning. Over the past<br />
15 years, we have implemented the most comprehensive logistics in the<br />
aerospace industry. Using an advanced suite of systems, Pratt & Whitney<br />
has the ability to embrace the entire engine value stream from design<br />
and manufacturing to maintenance and overhaul. All the supporting<br />
functions, including purchasing, finance, transportation and even<br />
contracts, are managed in a seamless and integrated environment. This<br />
allows for further optimization of cost and time to bring value to our<br />
customers.<br />
At Pratt & Whitney, we believe the support we provide to our military<br />
customers is the most important product we deliver. In addition to our<br />
broad range of military propulsion systems, we offer customers a range<br />
of tailored fleet management programs for operating their fleets with<br />
the optimum mix of organic capability, world-class expertise and the<br />
efficiency of economy of scale. Our management products range from<br />
basic order fulfillment to complete fleet management systems.<br />
With fleet management programs, Pratt & Whitney also offers<br />
comprehensive management of all aspects of engine operation and<br />
overhaul. We provide quality maintenance service and state-of-the-art<br />
material management and supply chain management systems, which<br />
General William J. Begert (Ret.) is the vice president for Business Development and<br />
Aftermarket Services for Pratt & Whitney Military Engines in East Hartford, Conn. As vice<br />
president, he is responsible for domestic and international military sales, assessing U.S.<br />
military requirements and developing business strategies for Pratt & Whitney’s military<br />
engine services. He is also responsible for the maintenance, repair and overhaul operations<br />
of Pratt & Whitney’s Military Aftermarket Services.<br />
Lesson in Logistics: A New Era is Dawning<br />
offer complete contractor-furnished material supply capability. By using<br />
contractor-furnished material, our customers take advantage of our<br />
strength in vendor and distributor relationships to minimize delays<br />
in parts delivery and reduce overall cost. Using these tools, we have<br />
achieved high customer satisfaction ratings while providing an affordable<br />
solution for maintaining the readiness of their fleets.<br />
Good logistics requires concerted efforts from our employees, our<br />
suppliers and customers. Our strength comes from combining lessons<br />
learned from our proven fielded programs with new technologies, materials<br />
and manufacturing processes to design, produce and deliver quality<br />
propulsion systems to our customers.<br />
As proud as we are of our logistics, we know it is possible to further<br />
bolster the visibility, control and capacity of our supply chain and<br />
distribution pipeline. We continue to streamline and optimize our global<br />
supply chain by reaching out to many of our suppliers and giving them<br />
the tools and systems to provide parts and services on time and at the<br />
highest levels of quality.<br />
We are not resting on our laurels. We continually seek out best<br />
practices and lessons learned by benchmarking companies from across<br />
many industries and enterprises. We know budgetary pressures continue<br />
to intensify and logistics is likely to become more of a differentiator. Our<br />
company therefore has to achieve even greater efficiencies and lower<br />
cost to maximize our operational advantage and provide the best value<br />
to our customers.<br />
A new era of logistics is dawning. Logistics now requires more precise<br />
accounting of consumption and replenishment for maximum efficiency<br />
and minimum burden on the supply system. In the future, I believe we<br />
will see more products delivered as needed and see better planning of<br />
the supply chain. Today’s information technology capabilities have made<br />
this vision possible, and tomorrow’s demand for efficiency has made<br />
the need urgent. With fiscal challenges looming in the future, Pratt &<br />
Whitney will be prepared to deliver across a wide variety of contingencies.<br />
We are paying attention to the long-term consequences of our decisions<br />
to make sure we have the right products, services and logistics in<br />
place to support our men and women in uniform. O<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 15
Though the mission and capabilities of Red River Army Depot have<br />
changed over the past 70 years, the resounding focus to provide the<br />
soldier with quality products and service has not altered. RRAD has<br />
risen to the challenge of every United States military conflict since<br />
1941. The depot was originally established as an ammunition storage<br />
facility; however, due to the demands of World War II, the mission was<br />
expanded to include general supply storage and tank repair. Today, a<br />
dedicated workforce of more than 4,000 people are engaged in work<br />
ranging from producing timber to remanufacturing the mine resistant<br />
ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle. The depot occupies 18,703 acres,<br />
making it one of the U.S. Army Materiel Command’s (AMC) largest<br />
supply and maintenance installations. RRAD is carved from 116 East<br />
Texas farms and ranches, and once even belonged to the mighty Caddo<br />
Indian Nation. More than 1,186 buildings/structures can accommodate<br />
repair/overhaul of electronic systems, heavy combat and wheeled<br />
vehicles. The depot is the largest employer in the greater Texarkana<br />
and surrounding areas. “The support from the community continues<br />
to help push Red River Army Depot forward,” said RRAD commander<br />
Colonel Doyle Lassitter. “The strong bond between the depot, the community<br />
and its leaders is a driving force in the mission that we carry<br />
out for the soldier.”<br />
we build it as if our lives<br />
depend on it—theirs do!<br />
RRAD is recognized as the TACOM Life Cycle Management<br />
Command Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for tactical<br />
wheeled vehicles, the Bradley fighting vehicle and multiple launch<br />
rocket system. The depot has the only Department of Defense capability<br />
for the remanufacture of road wheels and tracked vehicle systems.<br />
Using state-of-the-art, environmentally safe equipment, RRAD’s rubber<br />
product operation removes worn rubber and replaces it.<br />
RRAD leads the way in support of the MRAP program as the depot<br />
source of repair as well as the fabrication of the rollover egress system,<br />
the MRAP Egress Trainer or MET. The depot also continues to support<br />
soldiers in the field with deployments to Southwest Asia to maintain<br />
MRAPs and other vehicle systems. “While in Iraq, we had a MRAP<br />
RG-33 come in the yard that had sustained a substantial blast,” said<br />
Stephanie Jackson, a RRAD welder. “It totally destroyed the vehicle,<br />
but we were told that every soldier walked away from it. It’s a good<br />
feeling knowing that the work I do helps to save soldiers’ lives.”<br />
16 | MLF 5.7<br />
Red River Army Depot<br />
supporting the soldier since 1941.<br />
In addition to being the depot source of repair for the MRAP, RRAD<br />
is also the host installation for the joint services’ MRAP University.<br />
MRAP-U is a one-stop shop providing a unique cross-training platform<br />
to prepare instructors and maintenance personnel with the knowledge<br />
to conduct field-level support on the MRAP family of vehicles. Over 350<br />
students attend the university each day and are afforded the opportunity<br />
to gain knowledge and become familiar with any MRAP model no<br />
matter the manufacturer.<br />
The high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) production<br />
facility has achieved many milestones since its introduction<br />
at the depot. In 2004, the HMMWV production line only produced<br />
three vehicles per week. After adopting Lean Six Sigma processes,<br />
the production line achieved 32 vehicles per day in February 2006.<br />
In May 2007, the depot celebrated the production of the 10,000th<br />
HMMWV. The depot also remanufactures and rebuilds the armored<br />
security vehicle, family of medium tactical vehicles, high mobility<br />
artillery rocket system, multiple configurations of trailers and many<br />
other major components. Workload will increase in the next year as<br />
the depot is postured to overhaul and reset approximately 60 percent<br />
of the equipment returning from Southwest Asia.<br />
ready, willing and deployable<br />
For the last 10 years, America has been in a constant state of<br />
conflict. RRAD is proud to play a very significant role in supporting<br />
the soldier, not only providing the highest quality of equipment, but<br />
also with extremely capable deployed employees. What once consisted<br />
of a dedicated workforce located only in Northeast Texas is now an<br />
extended workforce located around the globe. RRAD is responsible for<br />
over 5,000 civilian deployments to Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq in<br />
direct support of the soldiers in the field.<br />
Approximately half of all AMC civilian deployments have come<br />
from RRAD. With the success of several fielding sites already in<br />
place, Red River was tasked to spearhead Stored Theater Provided<br />
Equipment-Iraq (STPE-I) at ‘Camp Armordillo’ in 2010. The mission<br />
of STPE-I is to maintain 169 combat-tracked vehicles that are fully<br />
mission-capable. Team members accomplishing this mission are<br />
highly skilled technicians specifically selected for their expertise and<br />
extensive knowledge of the systems to be serviced.<br />
All are volunteers and many have agreed to stay with the mission<br />
for multiple six-month tours. “Overall, the mission is very rewarding,”<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
said John Moore, former RRAD STPE-I site manager. “As depots, we<br />
are able to go to the soldier, use our skills and assist the soldier in carrying<br />
out their mission. As Department of the Army civilians, that is<br />
our ultimate goal.” Currently, there are nearly 500 RRAD employees<br />
supporting the soldier in theater.<br />
beyond the production floor<br />
RRAD was the first depot within AMC to achieve ISO 9001:2000<br />
certification throughout all administrative and production processes.<br />
The 9001:2000 certification gives emphasis to RRAD’s quality management<br />
systems. In 2008, RRAD achieved ISO 14001:2004 registration<br />
for Environmental Management Systems. This registration emphasizes<br />
Red River’s commitment to the local community as the depot<br />
maintains positive environmental conditions for the future. Intertwined<br />
in the production of quality vehicles is safety.<br />
The depot has shifted from the risk-based view to the behavior<br />
approach and is in return better able to identify potential hazards and<br />
mitigate them before an accident occurs. In October 2011, RRAD will<br />
enter the last steps to achieve OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program<br />
(VPP) star status. VPP recognizes employers in private industry and<br />
federal agencies who have implemented effective safety and health<br />
management systems and maintain injury and illness rates below<br />
national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for their respective industries.<br />
Implementation of the Red River Operating System is just another<br />
way RRAD continues to move business forward. The RROS is the<br />
common order-to-delivery process to achieve health, safety, environmental,<br />
quality and productivity goals of the depot. It is a system that<br />
encompasses the way RRAD conducts business on a daily basis, from<br />
operations on the production floor to meetings with the commander.<br />
By using RROS, Red River is able to communicate the mission of the<br />
depot using a unified language.<br />
coMMitted to excellence<br />
RRAD is a first-class, award-winning organization. The depot was<br />
named runner-up for the 2010 and 2011 Army Chief of Staff Maintenance<br />
Excellence Award for depot maintenance. In 2009, RRAD<br />
became the first Army installation to be the two-time recipient of the<br />
Secretary of Defense Robert T. Mason Award for Depot Maintenance<br />
Excellence.<br />
The depot received the prestigious Mason award in 2006 for the<br />
HMMWV program and in 2009 for support of the MRAP program. In<br />
2006, RRAD began its journey submitting Shingo Prize Award packages—an<br />
award that recognizes excellence in manufacturing—the<br />
Shingo Award is given annually in four levels of recognition (Shingo<br />
Prize, Gold, Silver and Bronze) throughout public and private business<br />
sectors. RRAD is the eight time recipient of the Shingo Award in the<br />
following production areas:<br />
• 2009: Bronze Shingo Medallion for the 1113/1114<br />
Armored HMMWV/HMMWV Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT)<br />
• 2008: Silver Shingo Medallion for the Heavy Expanded<br />
Medium Tactical Truck (HEMTT)<br />
• 2008: Bronze Shingo Medallion for the Patriot Missile<br />
• 2008: Bronze Shingo Medallion Recipient for the Trailers<br />
• 2007: Gold Shingo Medallion for the HMMWV<br />
• 2007: Silver Shingo Medallion for the HEMTT<br />
• 2007: Silver Shingo Medallion for the Bradley Power Train<br />
• 2006: Silver Shingo Medallion for the HMMWV<br />
In addition to these awards, RRAD also received the 2011 IHS<br />
Spectrum Excellence Award for outstanding achievements in the use<br />
of advanced information systems and best practices to achieve environmental,<br />
health and safety and enterprise sustainability business goals.<br />
RRAD Safety Office chief, Bonnie Lewis, was also the recipient of the<br />
2010 Army Individual Award for Excellence in Safety. The award is<br />
given for exemplary achievements in Safety and Occupational Health<br />
by AMC to the individual who makes the most significant contribution<br />
to accident prevention. The depot is the two-time recipient of the<br />
Department of the Army Best Antiterrorism Program-Fixed Installation<br />
Award in 2008 and 2009. In 2006, the depot received the Defense<br />
Logistics Agency Department of Defense Customer of the Year Award<br />
as well as the Army Superior Unit Award.<br />
partnering for the soldier<br />
Red River is teaming with over 20 defense contractors and engaged<br />
in over 100 partnering contracts. RRAD is the host to 10 tenant organizations,<br />
the largest being the Defense Logistics Agency-Distribution-<br />
Red River that stores secondary items valued at over $6 billion. In<br />
May 2011, Texarkana College and TexAmericas Center, both located<br />
in the greater Texarkana area, joined forces to open a training facility<br />
for RRAD employees. The training center, which is located near the<br />
depot, specializes in heavy equipment operations including training<br />
for Caterpillar engines, Allison transmissions and dynamometers.<br />
Courses are also available for mechanics, welding, machinery, CPR,<br />
first aid, hazardous waste operations and emergency response. “The<br />
training center partnership permits the depot to provide our workforce<br />
with superior training opportunities,” said RRAD Deputy Commander<br />
Patton Tidwell. “We want to remain progressive and proactive in our<br />
training methods and continue to strive forward in today’s technologydriven<br />
world.”<br />
on the horizon<br />
Meeting all challenges and defeating all obstacles is the underlying<br />
characteristic of the RRAD workforce. Throughout the years, Red<br />
River has experienced great success providing a unique workforce of<br />
trained, certified, diversified, deployable and skilled employees dedicated<br />
to our nation’s defense. As always, RRAD holds fast to its ongoing<br />
commitment to its customers that we will continue our process<br />
improvement quest to provide the highest quality products available.<br />
“Just as in the past, we are prepared to adapt our ever-evolving<br />
processes to meet the requirements of our nation and the soldiers<br />
that depend on us to reset and rebuild the vitally important equipment<br />
used to conduct combat operations and to support the training<br />
of units preparing for combat,” said Lassitter. “Our job is to continue<br />
to strengthen our team with our community, our employees, our<br />
contractors and our business partners. We must continue to build<br />
quality products that meet the timelines supporting our soldiers and<br />
the needs of our military and our nation.” O<br />
For more information, contact MLF Editor Jeff McKaughan at<br />
jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 17
Crestron recently announced that the V24-C<br />
24-inch HD touch-screen display, the latest addition<br />
to its family of high-definition V-Panel<br />
touch screens, is now available. The V24-C blends<br />
full touch-screen navigation, high performance<br />
graphics and HD video with Digital<strong>Media</strong> 8G+<br />
connectivity and a 24-inch high-definition widescreen<br />
display. Bringing media and control functions<br />
together, V24-C combines separate touch<br />
screens, TV displays and computer monitors into<br />
one HD touch-screen display. While simultane-<br />
Above Ground Wash Rack<br />
Compiled by <strong>KMI</strong> <strong>Media</strong> <strong>Group</strong> staff<br />
U.S. Marines are using wash racks not only to wash equipment<br />
and vehicles that require maintenance but also to apply corrosion<br />
control inhibitors; thus the name, VCI (volatile corrosion inhibitor)<br />
wash racks.<br />
To build a concrete equipment wash rack requires architectural<br />
design, PE stamps, building permits and bids from contractors to<br />
build the wash rack. Once the construction of the concrete wash rack<br />
is completed, it becomes a permanent fixture.<br />
Hydro Engineering has developed and patented the Hydropad<br />
above ground equipment wash racks, which do not require an architectural<br />
design, permitting or construction of any kind. Hydropad<br />
instant wash racks are equipment and not a capital construction<br />
project. According to the company, another advantage is that an<br />
above ground wash rack can be moved when required.<br />
The systems, as installed at multiple Marine sites, included:<br />
Hydrosite, equipment enclosures; these act as portable or permanent<br />
equipment rooms and also provide for factory installed and tested<br />
equipment, HVAC, backup heating and lighting. The complete system<br />
is UL and CE certified; Hydroblaster pressure washing equipment; VCI<br />
application system; Hydrokleen water filtration and recycling equipment<br />
that will treat all collected water; Hydropad above ground wash<br />
pads with splash control walls; and generators to (when no local<br />
power is available).<br />
As far as owner-supplied utilities, only a water supply connection<br />
is required. Hydro Engineering Inc. provides portable power and<br />
because these wash systems are not connected to a sewer, no sewer<br />
connection is required—100 percent of all collected water is continuously<br />
filtered and recycled back to the Hydroblaster wash equipment.<br />
The Hydropad steel equipment wash rack meets the first requirement<br />
of a storm water pollution prevention plan for a wash rack.<br />
From here, wash water can be filtered via Hydro Engineering Inc.<br />
waste water filtration equipment and recycled for continued use.<br />
18 | MLF 5.7<br />
High-Def Touch Screens<br />
ously controlling the home or other facility,<br />
V24-C, connected to a Crestron DGE-2 digital<br />
graphics engine, provides everything needed<br />
to access digital media content, enjoy online<br />
videos and music, surf the Web, perform realtime<br />
onscreen annotation, and more without<br />
requiring a separate computer. Full HDCP<br />
support makes V-Panel the only touch screen<br />
that enables reliable viewing of content-protected<br />
DVD, Blu-ray disc, digital HDTV, streaming video<br />
and multimedia computer sources.<br />
Engineered to work with Crestron<br />
Digital<strong>Media</strong> 8G+ systems, the DGE-2 graphics<br />
engine (and related AV source wiring) is hidden<br />
up to 330 feet away at the main equipment<br />
rack. All uncompressed HD audio/video, control,<br />
Ethernet and USB HID signals are transported<br />
directly to the V24-C through a single CAT5e<br />
wire or DM 8G cable without the need for a<br />
separate receiver. The single-wire connectivity,<br />
together with V24-C’s slim design, produces clean<br />
installations.<br />
Camp Arifjan Asset Visibility<br />
Cubic Global Tracking<br />
Solutions, the asset visibility solutions<br />
provider of Cubic Corporation,<br />
is providing new wireless mesh<br />
network technology to the U.S.<br />
Army for tracking military vehicles<br />
and equipment at the Armys Camp<br />
Arifjan wash rack, located near<br />
Kuwait City, Kuwait.<br />
Cubic GTS and prime contractor<br />
ARINC Engineering Services LLC<br />
successfully demonstrated their<br />
mesh network tracking solution in<br />
early 2011 under the Army Logistics<br />
Innovation Agency’s asset visibility<br />
program known as Next Generation<br />
Wireless Communications for<br />
Logistics Applications (NGWC). In<br />
June, Cubic delivered 2,000 new<br />
mesh network asset tags at Camp<br />
Arifjan.<br />
The Logistics Innovation<br />
Agency, in concert with Army<br />
Sustainment Command and Army<br />
Central Command, is implementing<br />
the Army Mobility Asset<br />
Tracking System (AMATS), which<br />
integrates cutting-edge wireless<br />
communications with sensors to<br />
provide a secure, wireless, automatic<br />
identification network.<br />
Cubic GTS technology is at<br />
the heart of the AMATS system. Its<br />
small, battery-powered mesh asset<br />
tags with GPS receivers are attached<br />
to vehicles at Camp Arifjan and<br />
automatically connect wirelessly<br />
with one another to form a mesh<br />
network. The precise location of<br />
any tag can be determined by<br />
searching for its serial number in<br />
the Cubic GTS device management<br />
center, a central database of all tags<br />
in operation.<br />
The ARINC/Cubic NGWC asset<br />
tracking solution is now helping<br />
to track and organize thousands<br />
of U.S. military vehicles at Camp<br />
Arifjan, including tanks, MRAPS,<br />
HMMWVs, trucks and other vehicles<br />
and equipment being redeployed<br />
from Iraq as the U.S. draws down<br />
its forces. At Camp Arifjan, the<br />
tracking operations are run by<br />
the 2-401st Army Field Support<br />
Brigade.<br />
“This implementation of Cubic<br />
GTS mesh networking is part of an<br />
end-to-end asset-tracking concept<br />
being developed with the U.S. Army’s<br />
Logistics Innovation Agency,” said<br />
Mary Ann Wagner, president of<br />
Cubic Global Tracking Solutions.<br />
“The goal is to provide enhanced<br />
logistics situational awareness<br />
and global, near-real-time asset<br />
visibility across the Department of<br />
Defense distribution networks.”<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
Mainstream Engineering Corp. has been<br />
awarded a sole-source contract to provide<br />
both the U.S. Army and Air Force with the<br />
next-generation, multi-functional Tricon<br />
Refrigerated Container System (TRCS).<br />
With a potential value of $40 million,<br />
the five-year contract calls for the delivery<br />
of insulated Tricon containers (both Army<br />
and Air Force versions) equipped with<br />
Mainstream’s new high-performance/energyefficient<br />
modular refrigeration unit. The TRCS<br />
is designed to support the standard Force<br />
Provider 550-man base camp. Tricons are<br />
much-relied-on transportable storage units<br />
Project Workhorse UGV Off to Afghanistan<br />
The U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force, through the Robotics Technology<br />
Consortium, selected the Lockheed Martin Squad Mission Support System<br />
(SMSS) to deploy to Afghanistan for a first-of-its-kind military assessment.<br />
SMSS will deploy as the winner of the Project Workhorse Unmanned Ground<br />
Vehicle (UGV) competition sponsored by the Army.<br />
The largest autonomous vehicle ever to be deployed with infantry, the<br />
11-foot-long SMSS can carry more than a half-ton of a squad’s equipment on<br />
rugged terrain, easing the individual soldier’s burden, which can often exceed<br />
100 pounds.<br />
“SMSS is the result of more than a decade of robotic technology development,<br />
and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate this<br />
capability in theater, where it can have an immediate impact<br />
at the squad level,” said Scott Greene, vice president of ground<br />
vehicles in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business.<br />
“The Army has tested the system’s capabilities in three<br />
domestic user assessments, and SMSS has been deemed ready<br />
to deploy.”<br />
As part of the three-month military utility assessment<br />
(MUA), four vehicles and a field service representative will<br />
support light infantry in theater as the service evaluates how<br />
autonomous vehicles can support or ease the equipment<br />
burden for deployed troops. A fifth vehicle and an engineering<br />
team will remain in the U.S. for analysis and additional<br />
support. The Army plans to begin the Afghanistan assessment<br />
late this year, after a period of evaluations and training.<br />
A fully-loaded SMSS is internally transportable on board<br />
CH-47 and CH-53 helicopters, providing new logistics capability<br />
to light and early-entry forces. The SMSS Block I<br />
variant, which will be deployed, has a range of 125 miles<br />
and features three control options: supervised autonomy,<br />
Refrigerated Container System<br />
that offer a wide range of options for medical,<br />
field kitchen, electronics and equipment<br />
applications. These highly versatile shipping<br />
containers can be configured so that three<br />
units secured together occupy the identical<br />
footprint as a standard 20-foot ISO intermodal<br />
container. TRCS units are also ideal for<br />
disaster relief and third-world humanitarian<br />
operations.<br />
“The contract award represents the<br />
culmination of the many advancements<br />
that we have achieved in the development of<br />
thermal control technologies with compact<br />
form factors,” said Robert P. Scaringe, Ph.D.,<br />
tele-operation or manually driven. The SMSS sensor suite allows it to lock on<br />
and follow any person by recognizing their digital 3-D profile (captured by the<br />
onboard sensors), and it can also navigate terrain on its own following a trail<br />
of GPS waypoints.<br />
In addition to a month-long MUA at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2009, SMSS<br />
has been selected for further evaluation as part of the Army’s Expeditionary<br />
Warrior Experiment (AEWE) Spiral G in November this year. While SMSS has<br />
already demonstrated its ability to reduce soldier loads and provide portable<br />
power, the November experiment will evaluate its ability to field a reconnaissance,<br />
surveillance and target acquisition mission equipment package.<br />
president of Mainstream Engineering.<br />
This contract, along with an earlier<br />
award for the development and manufacture<br />
of improved environmental controls units,<br />
represents more than $100 million in new<br />
production contracts awarded to Mainstream<br />
in the last nine months. These commercial<br />
off-the-shelf products are a result of<br />
Mainstream’s successful commercialization<br />
of an earlier Army small business innovation<br />
research (SBIR) grant. Mainstream leads the<br />
Department of Defense in SBIR commercialization<br />
with a 100 percent rating on the<br />
Commercialization Index.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 19
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ADVANCED LOGISTICS AND SUSTAINMENT<br />
© 2011 Lockheed Martin Corporation
Q&A<br />
Optimizing and Aligning Equipment Reset Strategies to Meet Requirements<br />
Logistics Optimizer<br />
Lieutenant General Frank A. Panter Jr.<br />
Deputy Commandant, Installations<br />
and Logistics<br />
U.S. Marine Corps<br />
Lieutenant General Panter is presently serving as the Deputy<br />
Commandant, Installations and Logistics, Washington, D.C.<br />
Enlisting in the Marine Corps in August 1968, he served until<br />
1972. This included a tour in the Republic of Vietnam with the 1st<br />
Marine Division. After graduating in 1975 from the University of Tennessee<br />
at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology, he<br />
entered Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a second<br />
lieutenant in the Marine Corps in July 1975.<br />
Following Basic School in 1976, now-second lieutenant Panter<br />
attended the Basic Combat Engineer Course. He then served as<br />
a combat engineer and shore party platoon commander, Alpha<br />
Company, 3d Combat Engineer Battalion, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii,<br />
participating in several deployments throughout the Western Pacific.<br />
Transferred in July 1979 to the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany,<br />
Ga., Panter, now a captain, served as the commanding general’s aidede-camp<br />
until 1982. Panter then served as inspector-instructor for<br />
headquarters and service company and assistant battalion inspectorinstructor,<br />
6th Engineer Support Battalion, Portland, Ore., until<br />
1986. He was later assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington,<br />
D.C., as an acquisition project officer for engineer equipment.<br />
In 1990 Major Panter was transferred to Okinawa, Japan and<br />
served as the operations officer and later as the executive officer for<br />
3d Combat Engineer Battalion, 3d Marine Division. After being promoted<br />
to lieutenant colonel, he assumed command of the 3d Combat<br />
Engineer Battalion. While at 3d Combat Engineer Battalion he participated<br />
in Operation Fiery Vigil, providing disaster relief assistance<br />
in the Philippines after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.<br />
In 1993 Panter was transferred to United States Central Command,<br />
Tampa, Fla., and served as the branch chief, Exercise Branch,<br />
Logistics and Security Assistance Directorate (J4) and also as the<br />
humanitarian assessment survey team (HAST) chief.<br />
During 1997 he was transferred to Naples, Italy, where he served<br />
as the military assistant and senior special assistant to the Commander-in-Chief,<br />
United States Naval Forces Europe/Commander,<br />
Allied Forces Southern Europe.<br />
In July 1998, Colonel Panter was transferred to United States<br />
Atlantic Command, Norfolk, Va., where he served as the deputy<br />
chief and later chief of the Current Operations Division, Operations<br />
Directorate [J3]. During August 1999 Panter was transferred to the<br />
2d Marine Aircraft Wing and served as the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing<br />
inspector until assuming command of Marine Wing Support <strong>Group</strong><br />
27, which he commanded for two years.<br />
From July 2002 until August 2003, Brigadier General Panter<br />
served as the commanding general, Marine Corps War Fighting Lab<br />
in Quantico, Va., and the vice chief, Office of Naval Research.<br />
In September 2003 he assumed command of the 3d Marine<br />
Logistics <strong>Group</strong>. During this tour he commanded the Combined<br />
Support <strong>Group</strong>-Sri Lanka, Operation Unified Assistance, which was<br />
responsible for U.S. military tsunami disaster relief assistance in<br />
Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Also during this tour, Panter deployed<br />
forces to Pakistan for earthquake disaster relief efforts as well as<br />
commanding the U.S. forces in Indonesia for earthquake disaster<br />
relief operations.<br />
During August 2006 Panter was transferred to Headquarters,<br />
Marine Corps where he assumed duties as the assistant deputy commandant<br />
for Installations and Logistics (Plans, Policy and Strategic<br />
Mobility).<br />
From 2007 to 2009, Major General Panter served as the commander,<br />
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea and assistant chief of staff<br />
for Strategy and Plans, U/C/J-5, United Nations Command, Combined<br />
Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea.<br />
Panter is a graduate of the United States Army’s Advance<br />
Engineer Officer’s Course, the Marine Corps’ Command & Staff<br />
College, the Naval War College and the Air Force’s Air War College<br />
(non-resident). He has a Master of Education degree in secondary<br />
mathematics and a Master of Arts degree in national security and<br />
strategic studies.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 21
Q: In a time of tighter budgets, what are some of<br />
your more significant efforts to increase efficiencies<br />
and reduce costs?<br />
A: In this period of tighter budgets and diminishing<br />
resources, we have been analyzing many areas<br />
in which savings could potentially be achieved or<br />
business could potentially be done more efficiently.<br />
One of our most significant recent efforts was<br />
an assistant commandant of the Marine Corpsdirected<br />
ground equipment deep dive, which<br />
revealed opportunities to improve our investments.<br />
In the deep dive, we reviewed the top 10 cost drivers<br />
on the planned master work schedule across the<br />
Future Years Defense Program [FYDP]. Using the<br />
commandant of the Marine Corps’ Planning Guidance<br />
and input from across the Marine air-ground<br />
task force [MAGTF], we made adjustments to our<br />
procurement plans and depot maintenance workload,<br />
more closely aligning it with the equipment<br />
requirements of the operating forces, and avoiding<br />
over $300 million in future costs.<br />
Q: Can you detail the Marine Corps reset plan, which I believe has<br />
a budget of about $10.6 billion?<br />
A: To speed up the reset, we will use a mix of organic, commercial<br />
capabilities, and joint capabilities to spread the work. This will<br />
allow us to reset our equipment more efficiently, thereby allowing<br />
us to reconstitute our operating forces at a faster rate.<br />
Also, we are refreshing equipment as far forward as possible to<br />
ensure we take full advantage of joint capabilities established in<br />
country. Equipment returning from theater will be reset in accordance<br />
with developed strategies and the commandant’s priorities.<br />
It is difficult to assign a reset timeline for equipment deployed<br />
to Afghanistan—but the key point is that the longer the Marine<br />
Corps is engaged in combat, the longer it will take to reset its<br />
ground equipment.<br />
The current reset liability is estimated as $5.6 billion for FY11<br />
and FY12, with another $5 billion at the termination of the conflict.<br />
Q: Staying with a related budget issue, how are you addressing<br />
the reconstitution shortfall? What will it take from a funding and<br />
effort perspective to get the job done?<br />
A: We are addressing our reconstitution shortfalls by optimizing<br />
and aligning our equipment reset strategies to meet the requirements<br />
of a post-OEF Marine Corps.<br />
Our efforts are being informed and guided by actions such<br />
as the force structure review and table of equipment reviews. As<br />
the nation’s expeditionary force in readiness, the Marine Corps is<br />
developing capabilities of a middleweight force in the post-OEF<br />
era.<br />
This development will shape important decisions, such as how<br />
to best reconstitute the force to respond across a broad range of<br />
military operations. It will involve complex decisions on which<br />
equipment to keep in the inventory and which to divest to ensure<br />
we are not spending resources unnecessarily. Currently, the projected<br />
amount to meet our reconstitution shortfall is $5 billion.<br />
22 | MLF 5.7<br />
GCSS-MC will enhance the logistical capabilities of Marines across the globe by providing all logistics personnel a more<br />
efficient, consolidated data system for supply and maintenance support requests. [Photo courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps]<br />
Q: Based on current projections, do you expect to see any shift in the<br />
prepositioning plan in place?<br />
A: We are constantly looking how to make the prepositioning plan<br />
more responsive and flexible in support of the combatant commander’s<br />
needs. A recent Department of the Navy efficiency decision moved<br />
one MPSRON [maritime prepositioning ship squadron] into a reduced<br />
operating status.<br />
We believe this efficiency has an impact on responsiveness, but<br />
does not change the Marine Corps prepositioning plan—since we<br />
would still employ this squadron in the same manner as our other two<br />
fully-activated MPSRONs. The objective remains the same: to deploy<br />
the most capable MEB [Marine expeditionary brigade] in a timely and<br />
efficient manner.<br />
Q: Can you share some important lessons learned from OIF drawdown?<br />
A: We conducted a logistics lessons learned symposium in March 2010<br />
to examine the responsible drawdown in Iraq. While the drawdown<br />
was a huge operational and logistical success, we realized we could<br />
do some things better to prepare us for both the transition to and exit<br />
from Afghanistan.<br />
Some of the key takeaways we will apply to OEF/OND drawdown<br />
include: thin out equipment at forward operating bases early; leverage<br />
optimal repair locations; triage in theater; and establish a forward reset<br />
executive agent to control flow [LogCom].<br />
Q: Does the Marine Corps utilize any type of inventory management/<br />
reorder point decision tools to help ensure an inline supply chain<br />
with not too much or too little inventory on hand?<br />
A: As we implement enterprise resource planning with Global Combat<br />
Support System-Marine Corps [GCSS-MC], a common approach to<br />
inventory planning and management will be instituted. GCSS-MC<br />
uses Oracle’s Advanced Planning and Scheduling [APS] suite of applications<br />
to forecast demands for the Marine Corps.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
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The forecast uses statistical analysis to provide a forward look<br />
at what the force will need. This information will be processed at<br />
the Marine Corps Logistics Command and shared with suppliers to<br />
ensure the right materiel is available when needed. The analytical<br />
products can then be used to build individual plans for each of the<br />
MEFs.<br />
Q: Some base camps in deployed environments offer degrees of<br />
creature comforts—others not so much. What are some things<br />
you are doing to make living conditions for Marines in some of<br />
the more basic camps more bearable, especially considering some<br />
of the climatic conditions?<br />
A: Our main focus is making our Marines as combat effective as possible.<br />
Ensuring that they are equipped to operate effectively in austere<br />
and often extreme environments is what drives our approach<br />
to sustainment.<br />
One of the big challenges in supporting our Marines and<br />
managing our battlefield footprint is our demand for energy. We<br />
have several new energy initiatives underway in Afghanistan that<br />
are increasing the quality of life for our Marines and reducing our<br />
demand for energy at the same time.<br />
We are deploying thermal tent liners to better hold the conditioned<br />
air. That makes a big difference when the outside temperature<br />
can be over 110 degrees. Feedback from the Marines at the<br />
24 | MLF 5.7<br />
forward operating posts has been positive. We also harnessed the<br />
liners with low power LED lights that emit less heat and use less<br />
power than standard fluorescent lights. By end of the year we expect<br />
to field thermal tent liners and LED lights to 10 battalions.<br />
Next month, we are sending out solar-powered water coolers for<br />
evaluation. These units use solar energy to cool water to 40 degrees<br />
in just a few hours. Using renewable energy sources reduces generator<br />
power, and in turn reduces the requirement for Marines to<br />
protect and haul fuel.<br />
Q: Last year the Marines conducted a comprehensive force structure<br />
review. As far as what affected your command, what were<br />
some of the biggest takeaways?<br />
A: The post-OEF Marine Corps will be smaller and re-structured to<br />
support the commandant’s vision of a middleweight force. Specific<br />
to the logistics combat elements [LCE], we modified the tables of<br />
organization and equipment and shifted from functional to multifunctional<br />
battalions. Within the MAGTF, this means that the LCE<br />
will be leaner and better organized to support crisis response and<br />
contingency missions.<br />
The revised operational construct focuses on supporting Marine<br />
expeditionary unit [MEU] and Marine expeditionary battalion level<br />
operations, yet retains the capability to aggregate forces for largerscale<br />
operations. We are accepting some risk at the high end of the<br />
range of military operations to focus on a readily-deployable middleweight<br />
MEB-level capability that fills a niche between lighter special<br />
operations forces and heavier Army brigades and allows for tailoring<br />
in either direction to meet any requirement.<br />
Significant changes to the LCE include:<br />
• We are moving the engineer line companies from the<br />
engineer support battalions to fill engineer services company<br />
structure requirements within the direct support combat<br />
logistics battalion [DS CLB].<br />
• The DS CLBs will include a transportation services company,<br />
augmented by a landing support platoon and a multifunctional<br />
engineer services company.<br />
• Multi-functional MEU CLBs will be manned and equipped as<br />
permanent organizations.<br />
• Maintenance and supply battalions will be right sized and<br />
separated to form multi-functional CLBs.<br />
• To the extent possible, we are creating mirrored commands.<br />
Extending the transition through FY15 will provide clear transition<br />
points for assignments and trade-space for equipment redistribution,<br />
and aligns our LCE effort with Ground Combat Element and<br />
Command Element structure initiatives.<br />
Q: Any final thoughts about Marine Corps logistics?<br />
A: The challenging business of logistics is being met head on at<br />
every level of command. To prevent the requirement to pay later,<br />
we are continually leaning forward to ensure we are doing what<br />
is necessary to support the warfighter while preparing for future<br />
demands.<br />
Lastly, and significant as well, we are revamping our logistics<br />
training and education systems to ensure we are producing Marines<br />
not only to survive but excel on today and tomorrow’s battlefield. O<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
¤ Handling<br />
Choices¤<br />
The U.S. military’s requirements for lifting, pushing,<br />
pulling, loading, unloading and generally moving<br />
around a lot of heavy material are in some ways<br />
similar to the needs of many civilian companies. But<br />
war and war-makers have some very unique needs<br />
too, not least of which is operating in very difficult<br />
and dangerous environments. Unsurprisingly, some<br />
of the Defense Department’s handling equipment is<br />
very similar to that used by civilian firms, while other<br />
equipment is extensively adapted from commercial<br />
equipment to meet much more demanding requirements.<br />
“JCB’s big strength is that we are vertically integrated,”<br />
summarized Chris Saucedo, vice president of<br />
Military Products and a 22-year veteran of U.S. Marine<br />
Corps engineering. “We make all our engines, transmissions<br />
and axles.”<br />
Saucedo divides material handling equipment into<br />
three basic types: commercial off-the-shelf (COTS),<br />
military off-the-shelf, and unique military equipment.<br />
by henry canaday<br />
Mlf correspondent<br />
For the military, JCB makes small telescopic-handling<br />
platforms of less than 6,000 pounds load capacity,<br />
large platforms of greater capacity and high-mobility<br />
platforms that can move at convoy speeds of 45 to 50<br />
miles per hour.<br />
JCB also makes backhoe loaders that can use<br />
either shovels or forks. “These can move dust and<br />
dirt around, but also do material handling and move<br />
cargo,” Saucedo emphasized. “They are a force multiplier.<br />
They can be used by armor or artillery to move<br />
ammunition, or to move fuel pods or water tanks.”<br />
JCB has a backhoe loader that travels at convoy speed<br />
and the same technology enables the company’s highmobility,<br />
rough terrain forklifts.<br />
One unique feature of JCB’s flexible equipment is<br />
that it can both move equipment and dirt. For example,<br />
a HESCO defensive barrier can be put in place and<br />
then filled with dirt by the same vehicle. Or an auger<br />
can be fixed to the vehicle to dig a hole for fence posts.<br />
Flexibility is key in many situations. JCB’s telescopic<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 25
handlers can unload cargo from ships for<br />
disaster relief and then be transferred to<br />
shore help move the fuel, food and water<br />
wherever they are needed.<br />
Saucedo said there is a trend toward<br />
telemetry in handling equipment to provide<br />
the diagnostics and prognostics necessary<br />
to keep equipment available and<br />
reduce maintenance costs. “Once you have<br />
telemetry, you can control the machines<br />
remotely in hostile areas.” Cargo trucks<br />
are now being developed that can move<br />
cargo by remote control. Now the cargo<br />
can be unloaded by remote control as well,<br />
reducing or eliminating the need for force<br />
protection at unloading sites.<br />
Another trend is toward better armor<br />
and countermeasures for military handling<br />
equipment. One challenge here is to<br />
provide effective armor while remaining<br />
within the weight limits that allow the<br />
equipment to do its job. JCB has demonstrated<br />
for Australian forces a composite<br />
armor solution that meets this challenge.<br />
Saucedo said military customers can<br />
now buy commercial handlers and easily<br />
replace their cabs with armored cabs that<br />
also have defensive countermeasures.<br />
JCB has been working hard to improve<br />
the fuel efficiency of its material handlers.<br />
A new line of Echo engines has been put<br />
on many JCB vehicles.<br />
John Deere makes a full line of commercial<br />
construction equipment. For<br />
material handling, Deere has several<br />
product lines.<br />
Deere’s K Series utility loaders can<br />
shuttle sand, place pallets or unload<br />
trucks. “Each comes loaded with production-boosting<br />
advantages, such as a<br />
state-of-art multifunction monitor with<br />
advanced diagnostics, a convenient<br />
sealed-switch module and our innovative<br />
Quad-Cool system that keeps everything<br />
running cool,” explained John Chesterman,<br />
product marketing manager for<br />
Loaders.<br />
Deere’s K Series production loaders<br />
are highly stable, drive very smoothly<br />
and have impressive loading performance.<br />
“K Series loaders deliver everything a contractor would want in<br />
a production-class loader,” Chesterman said. “Productivity and<br />
uptime-boosting advantages include PowerShift transmission, a<br />
high-torque PowerTech diesel engine, the Quad-Cool system and<br />
multifunction monitors.” Several of the K loaders are available<br />
with special engines for work in EPA nonattainment areas.<br />
Deere landscape loaders have a unitized mainframe. These<br />
construction-grade loaders have uncommon stamina and<br />
strength. For smaller jobs, Deere offers a 110 Tractor loader.<br />
26 | MLF 5.7<br />
Similar to their civilian counterparts, mobile cranes do the heavy lifting around the depot or in the field. [Photo courtesy of Terex]<br />
Rough terrain container handlers have eased the problems associated with the local movement of bulky containers and units. [Photo<br />
courtesy of Caterpillar]<br />
In each Deere material handler, buckets can be replaced with<br />
forks when needed.<br />
Finally, Deere skid steers are loaded with customer-inspired<br />
enhancements, such as roomy operator stations and quiet,<br />
pressurized cabs. Productivity-boosting options include joysticks<br />
with selectable control patterns and variable booms and<br />
bucket-speed rate limits. “Deere continually looks to customers<br />
and contractors to offer input into the design of our equipment,”<br />
Chesterman stressed. “Anyone that needs best-in-class<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
material-handling equipment can easily jump into a cab and<br />
work with any of the Deere products. Most important, the Deere<br />
lines of material-handling products can be used for military<br />
logistics and work.”<br />
Terex Corporation manufactures an extensive range of equipment<br />
for the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, recycling,<br />
mining, shipping, transportation, refining, utility and maintenance<br />
industries. “We are market leaders in the manufacture of<br />
both commercial and militarized material-handling equipment,<br />
including all-terrain cranes, rough-terrain cranes, truck cranes,<br />
container-reach stackers, tele-handlers, working lifts, boom<br />
trucks, scrap handlers, heavy-port forklifts, straddle carriers and<br />
port cranes,” said Thomas Manley, vice president of government<br />
programs. Under the brand names of Terex or Genie, the company’s<br />
handling equipment is on most military bases in the U.S.<br />
and worldwide.<br />
Terex Government Programs (TGP) is located in Fredericksburg,<br />
Va., close to key Department of Defense customers. TGP<br />
develops COTS solutions or militarizes Terex equipment to meet<br />
specific operational needs. “Our TGP team works closely with<br />
Terex business segments to anticipate U.S. military requirements,”<br />
Manley stressed.<br />
Terex developed its tractor, rubber-tired, articulated steering,<br />
materiel (TRAM) handler during the Vietnam era. These 10,000pound<br />
wheel-loaders were purchased and used by the thousands<br />
from the 1960s through the 1990s and some are still operated at<br />
U.S. bases and by other militaries.<br />
In Iraq and Afghanistan, Terex’s telescopic-container tophandlers,<br />
called reach stackers, are widely used. Terex stackers<br />
are used primarily for moving containers, but have proved useful<br />
in a myriad of equipment- and vehicle-lifting operations using<br />
top-handler four-point slings. Terex reach stackers are capable of<br />
lifting over 90,000 pounds and stacking 20- or 40-foot containers<br />
up to five high. “Our Terex stackers are called upon to lift the<br />
heaviest of container loads, such as fuel, water and ammunition,<br />
and used where cycle time and quick through-put of containers<br />
are essential,” Manley explained.<br />
Terex recently completed fielding a significant fleet of 50-ton<br />
military all-terrain cranes (MAC 50s) to the U.S. Marine Corps.<br />
Manley says these are the most capable and versatile all-terrain<br />
cranes used by the Department of Defense. MAC 50s have highway<br />
travel speed and cross-country mobility capability, can ford<br />
over 60 inches of water and are transportable by C-17 Globemasters.<br />
They are used in vertical construction, bridging operations,<br />
barrier emplacement and container movement, and they can be<br />
used for recovery of heavy armored vehicles or downed aircraft.<br />
Both the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps operate the MAC 50<br />
in material-handling missions throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.<br />
Terex is now supporting naval aviation with its heavy maintenance<br />
crane (HMC), a 25-ton, cab-down, rough-terrain crane.<br />
The HMC was adapted from Terex’s commercial CD 200 series<br />
of rough-terrain cranes to meet the rigorous support requirements<br />
for ground support of Navy and Marine aircraft. It is<br />
air-transportable and capable of pick-and-carry operations. The<br />
HMC’s extended boom reach saves time in heavy-maintenance<br />
tasks such as pulling engines and rotors on fixed and rotary wing<br />
aircraft. “We are confident that NAVAIR will be able to meet and<br />
improve all their aircraft maintenance support activities with<br />
fielding of the HMC,” Manley predicted.<br />
In 2000, Terex was awarded a Marine Corps contract for<br />
a 5,000-pound light rough terrain forklift (LRTF). Terex’s TX<br />
51-19 M/MD has been a workhorse LRTF ever since. Hundreds of<br />
these tele-handler forklifts have proved their flexibility and capability<br />
in wartime conditions around the globe for more than 10<br />
years. The TX 51-19 M/MD performs beach loading, pallet handling,<br />
vehicle loading, vertical-construction support and ammunition<br />
handling, and does container stuffing and un-stuffing<br />
operations. Its success has led to Army adoption of the Marine<br />
Corps requirement and additional procurements by the Marines.<br />
Recently Terex militarized a commercial extended-boom<br />
4,000-pound tele-handler for use by the U.S. Air Force in extreme<br />
arctic cold weather as well as in the high heat and blowing sand<br />
and dust of desert environments. This TX 4013 Air Force model<br />
was rigorously tested by design engineers to meet or exceed all<br />
Air Force specifications. It has an extended boom reach for unstuffing<br />
20-foot containers and can work in close proximity to<br />
aircraft for support of maintenance and loading operations.<br />
As a hybrid design based on a commercial tele-handler,<br />
the TX 4013 AF can interface with a wide range of commercial<br />
attachments, including work baskets, de-icing kits, variable fork<br />
sizes and options, towing packages, buckets and crane attachments.<br />
“The TX 4013 AF is an exceptionally robust, flexible,<br />
and capable machine that will support a wide range of materialhandling<br />
missions for the U.S. Air Force long into the future,”<br />
Manley said.<br />
Caterpillar has delivered over a thousand of their 10,000pound<br />
all terrain fork lifts (10K ATFL), mostly to the U.S. Air<br />
Force, but also to the Army and Special Operations Command.<br />
These are specially built derivatives of Caterpillar’s 928 wheel<br />
loaders. This ATFL has military modifications to accommodate<br />
the Department of Defense’s needs in theaters of operation.<br />
The 10K ATFL has a roller system that attaches to its fork and<br />
matches up with the 463L pallet system on the C-130 Hercules.<br />
And the ATFL can remove its own cab, so it can be carried in a<br />
C-130 as well. This allows the Air Force to roll the ATFL off a<br />
C-130 and immediately begin off-loading pallets. The Air Force<br />
uses the Caterpillar machine all over the world, including Iraq,<br />
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Qatar and other bases.<br />
Caterpillar’s Machine Marketing and Contracts Manager Rick<br />
Sharp indicated that ATFL was selected by the Air Force partly<br />
because of Caterpillar’s extensive presence and support network<br />
around the world. A 12,000-pound variant of the ATFL is also<br />
available with the same features.<br />
Caterpillar also makes a rough terrain container handler<br />
(RTCH), a variant of its 988B and 980G wheel loaders, that handles<br />
20- and 40-foot containers. It can stack containers two high.<br />
The Army bought a few hundred RTCHs in the late 1980s and<br />
some are still in use today. A 25,000-pound RTCH was procured<br />
by the Navy to move 20-foot containers around storage yards.<br />
Caterpillar also makes a full line of tele-handlers, wheel loaders<br />
with fork lifts, and skid steers, which have less lifting capacity<br />
but can fit into tight places. O<br />
For more information, contact MLF Editor Jeff McKaughan at<br />
jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 27
28 | MLF 5.7<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
protection levels have increased even on lighter<br />
support trucKs.<br />
by peter buxbauM<br />
Mlf correspondent<br />
Mine resistant ambush protected<br />
(MRAP) vehicles are most often thought<br />
of as instruments of force protection.<br />
The United States military started to<br />
acquire them during the second half of<br />
2003, when the fast-paced, mechanized,<br />
expeditionary Iraq campaign turned into<br />
a slogging counterinsurgency operation,<br />
often staged on complex urban terrain.<br />
The MRAP’s height and weight shield the<br />
troops sequestered inside and its V-shaped<br />
undercarriage deflects the force of improvised<br />
explosive devices blast away from<br />
the underbody of the vehicle.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 29
But MRAPs play important roles in logistics as well. The<br />
vehicle morphed into several different variants, each configured<br />
for specialized missions such as the movement of weapons and<br />
general cargo as well as the removal of casualties from the<br />
battlefield. “Many mission types require MRAP<br />
survivability protection, and that includes warfighters<br />
running vehicle recovery and support missions,”<br />
said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar<br />
Defense.<br />
The RG33 variant of the MRAP, built by BAE<br />
Systems, in fact was developed to specifications of<br />
the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)<br />
to include blast protection from nose to tail,<br />
shielding the cargo areas as well, a feature not to<br />
be found on all MRAPs. The U.S. military has also<br />
recently placed orders for recovery and ambulance<br />
MRAPs with Navistar, and has begun to take delivery<br />
of upgraded heavy-duty tactical trucks. With<br />
the anticipated drawdown of U.S. troops from<br />
Afghanistan, MRAPs have begun to be reallocated<br />
and repurposed.<br />
BAE Systems last year was awarded a $170<br />
million contract to deliver 32 SOCOM armored<br />
utility vehicles (AUV) to the U.S. Marine Corps<br />
Systems Command. The U.S. SOCOM AUV is<br />
one of several MRAP variants based on the RG33<br />
family of vehicles. The contract also included<br />
providing upgrades, including the installation of<br />
independent suspensions, to 250 existing vehicles.<br />
“We turned that delivery order ahead of schedule,<br />
in 10 months, with zero defects,” said Beach Day, MPV<br />
program director at BAE Systems. “The first batch is already<br />
sitting in theater in Afghanistan.”<br />
The RG33 USSOCOM AUV MRAP is a modified commercial<br />
off-the-shelf vehicle designed to reduce casualties and increase<br />
survivability for personnel subjected to mine explosions, IED<br />
detonations, and small arms fire. The vehicle provides 12,000pound<br />
cargo payload and 36,000-pound towing capability. It<br />
features an Automatic Fire Suppression System and a V-shaped<br />
hull that provides blast protection against a variety of explosive<br />
hazards.<br />
“This allows the vehicle to be driven away after being subject<br />
to threats that would completely destroy normal vehicles<br />
and disable other mine protected vehicles,” said Michael Bate,<br />
the RG33 program director at BAE Systems.<br />
The RG33 is equipped with a 600 horsepower engine which<br />
gives the vehicle a high horsepower per ton ratio, according to<br />
Day. “It’s also got mine protection all the way to the cargo bed,”<br />
he said, “so that it protects the cargo as well as the crew.”<br />
“The blast protection requirements for the SOCOM vehicle<br />
is different,” added Bate, “because special operations teams use<br />
this for just about everything, from towing boats to hauling<br />
their own 4-by-4 vehicles in the back. They were developed and<br />
are utilized for special missions including early reconnaissance<br />
missions. They can haul pretty much anything on the back<br />
of this truck from one forward operating base to the next to<br />
ensure mission success.”<br />
To date, BAE Systems has produced around 350 SOCOM<br />
MRAP vehicles, 2,200 RG33 MRAP vehicles, and 6,400 total<br />
30 | MLF 5.7<br />
MRAP vehicles through $5 billion in contract awards. The BAE<br />
MRAPs incorporate eight different variants, all of which have<br />
been fielded in combat zones. BAE Systems also provides troop<br />
carrier, route clearance and ambulance variant<br />
of the RG33 to the U.S. military.<br />
“The route clearance variant carries robots<br />
that do the actual route clearance,” said Bate.<br />
“All of these vehicles have essentially the same<br />
body types and heavy armor and all have been<br />
deployed to theater.”<br />
Upgrades will be performed on nearly 250<br />
SOCOM vehicles to incorporate new independent<br />
suspension systems and other design<br />
improvements to ensure superior mobility and<br />
performance. The 32 latest U.S. SOCOM AUV<br />
beach day<br />
MRAP vehicles were all built with the improvements<br />
already built-in.<br />
MRAPs might normally thought of as fighting<br />
vehicles, but Navistar’s MaxxPro MRAP<br />
includes variants that are put to work for<br />
logistical purposes. “The MaxxPro is becoming<br />
a family of vehicles that include wreckers and<br />
flatbeds,” said Archie Massicotte, president of<br />
Navistar Defense. “We can modify the platform<br />
to what the customer is looking for.”<br />
Navistar Defense recently announced that<br />
it received a $357 million delivery order for<br />
mike ivy<br />
an additional 471 International MaxxPro Dash<br />
vehicles. A month earlier Navistar received a<br />
$183 million order from the U.S. Marine Corps<br />
Systems Command for 250 MaxxPro Dash MRAP ambulances.<br />
Most recently, in July 2011, Navistar received a delivery order<br />
for 140 International MaxxPro Recovery vehicles with rocketpropelled<br />
grenade nets from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems<br />
Command. Navistar has grown its fleet of MaxxPro vehicles to<br />
more than 8,700 units, encompassing nine variants.<br />
MaxxPro MRAPs are being used for a number of missions<br />
outside the wire, according to Massicotte. “The MaxxPro Dash<br />
was the first MRAP to be modified specifically for the Afghan<br />
terrain and we have continued to enhance its capabilities all<br />
along the way,” he said. “The addition of independent suspension<br />
on our vehicles helps combine mobility and survivability.<br />
They are also used for troop transport in convoys.”<br />
The MaxxPro Dash ambulance is the company’s latest MRAP<br />
variant. “All our MaxxPro units share commonality and this<br />
allows us to respond rapidly to changing mission needs with<br />
vehicle enhancements and fleet support,” said Massicotte.<br />
The $142 million order for MaxxPro Recovery vehicles also<br />
includes parts and support for MRAPs. Navistar received its first<br />
MaxxPro Recovery vehicle order in November 2010.<br />
“To meet urgent needs, we completed delivery of the last<br />
MaxxPro Recovery vehicle order two months ahead of schedule,”<br />
said Massicotte. “We are proud that these vehicles are<br />
performing well and we will work swiftly again to deliver these<br />
additional trucks.”<br />
The MaxxPro Recovery vehicle is based on the same Work-<br />
Star, or International 7000-MV, platform that Navistar uses for<br />
other of its growing family of vehicles. The vehicle’s ballistic,<br />
mine and IED protection aids two- to three-man crews as they<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
etrieve damaged or disabled<br />
vehicles and carry out other<br />
support missions. The recovery<br />
vehicles will be delivered<br />
in October and November<br />
2011.<br />
Within the last year, Oshkosh<br />
Defense began delivering<br />
upgraded versions of<br />
the Palletized Load System<br />
(PLS) and the Heavy Equipment<br />
Transporter (HET), two<br />
of the vehicles within the<br />
U.S. Army’s family of heavy<br />
tactical vehicles (FHTV),<br />
under a contract awarded in<br />
2008. The company anticipates<br />
delivering 6,000 new<br />
vehicles under the contract.<br />
Oshkosh also upgrades some<br />
of the older FHTV vehicles to<br />
make them compatible with<br />
the latest requirements. The<br />
Heavy Expanded Mobility<br />
Tactical Truck (HEMTT) is<br />
also a component of FHTV.<br />
The PLS, used for Army<br />
distribution and resupply, is<br />
built to transport ammunition<br />
and other battle supplies. The HET is designed to rapidly<br />
transport battle tanks, fighting and recovery vehicles, armored<br />
vehicles and construction equipment, as well as their crews.<br />
The HEMTT A4 is available in several variants for a wide range<br />
of operations including equipment transport.<br />
“We are now in production with the PLS A1,” said Mike Ivy,<br />
vice president and general manager for Army programs at Oshkosh<br />
Defense. “We have made significant improvements to the<br />
platform. A transportation unit out of the Los Alamitos Joint<br />
Forces Training Base was the first to receive the truck earlier<br />
this year and they were delighted with it. The trucks are now<br />
coming off the assembly line.”<br />
The PLS A1 has an improved power train with a 600-horsepower<br />
Caterpillar C13 engine, an independent front suspension<br />
for improved off-road mobility, and electrical upgrades. Its new<br />
cab is common with the HEMTT C4 and is armor ready.<br />
“The HET A1 is in low rate initial production while testing<br />
continues,” said Ivy. “We are making the final configuration<br />
changes and plan to ramp up to full-rate production in the first<br />
quarter of fiscal year 2012.” Ivy expects the delivery order for<br />
1,000 vehicles, valued at $440 million, to be completed by June<br />
2012.<br />
The new HET A1 will all have armored cabs, including<br />
armored floors. That additional weight has necessitated an<br />
upgrade to the 700-horsepower Caterpillar C18 engine. The<br />
latest Oshkosh HET A1 also includes higher capacity front<br />
suspension, electrical upgrades and standard air conditioning.<br />
Oshkosh has also been active in recapitalizing military<br />
vehicles, including the PLS and HEMTT, recently reaching<br />
the 10,000-vehicle milestone. To meet the latest HEMTT A4<br />
Based on the foundation of an MRAP, this armored utility vehicle both protects soldiers and delivers supplies. [Photo courtesy of BAE Systems]<br />
configuration, the suspension in the recapitalized vehicle is<br />
improved and a fully air-conditioned and armor-ready cab is<br />
installed, in addition to a more powerful drive train.<br />
Oshkosh also has a contract for the Army’s family of<br />
medium tactical vehicles (FMTV), deliveries of which began<br />
around a year ago. The FMTV consists of 17 models, including<br />
cargo, tractor, van, wrecker, tanker and dump truck variants.<br />
The FMTV transports troops and hauls equipment in support<br />
of a wide range of tactical operations. Ivy expects Oshkosh to<br />
deliver 13,000 of these vehicles, which were not upgraded as<br />
part of the new contract award.<br />
For all the important work performed by MRAPs in Afghanistan<br />
and Iraq, the drawdown of U.S. forces from those areas<br />
of operations spell an end to the demand for the vehicles, at<br />
least for now. “Right now, there is no future demand for these<br />
vehicles,” said Day. “As MRAPs are being drawn down they are<br />
being redistributed within the battle command setup. Some are<br />
being tailored for different missions.”<br />
Day predicts some MRAPs will be converted to trainers or<br />
repurposed for other mission types. This will provide more<br />
work for contractors, as the trucks will need to be reconfigured<br />
with different equipment, from radios to gun turrets. O<br />
For more information, contact MLF Editor Jeff McKaughan at<br />
jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com.<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 31
Cutting cost while maintaining capability will be critical in the<br />
new budget environment. Along with choosing new programs wisely,<br />
that means minimizing the total life cycle costs of all military assets,<br />
both current assets whose lives must be extended and new platforms,<br />
systems and components.<br />
Private firms are involved, as manufacturers, in much of this<br />
economizing effort. They are also helping at critical stages of life cycle<br />
planning, especially in logistics and obsolescence management.<br />
Honeywell has devoted substantial efforts to thinking through how<br />
components, especially avionics components, on older aircraft can<br />
be sustained through long lives. Steve Pitts, vice president for Honeywell’s<br />
U.S. Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) business<br />
segments, said the challenge exists “across the board.”<br />
“The biggest driver of higher costs is often obsolescence,” Pitts<br />
noted. Honeywell wants to offer a proactive solution to this problem<br />
and partner with military customers in implementing it. Obsolescence<br />
is most intense in components depending on electronics or information<br />
technology because rapid advances in consumer markets for these<br />
products mean technologies go out of date constantly.<br />
A firm that made a particular part may go out of business. More<br />
often, a part once made in high volumes now generates only a few<br />
orders annually, insufficient to maintain infrastructure to produce it.<br />
Identifying these problems well in advance yields several options. A<br />
substitute part, with the same form, fit and function, may be designed<br />
and sourced. Or the larger system in which the part is required may be<br />
redesigned to use a different part. Pitts noted that redesign presents an<br />
opportunity to enhance performance while dealing with obsolescence.<br />
Initially, Honeywell offered obsolescence solutions only for Honeywell<br />
products, but that could be very helpful as Honeywell products<br />
are on virtually every military aircraft. Pitts said the approach could<br />
eventually be applied more broadly across other manufacturers’<br />
equipment.<br />
32 | MLF 5.7<br />
there is no substitute for efficient planning for the long-terM<br />
operational sustainMent of Military equipMent and systeMs.<br />
by henry canaday<br />
Mlf correspondent<br />
SRA does not work on particular platforms or components, but<br />
with the logistics and supply-chain systems that sustain many platforms<br />
and components. George Batsakis, vice president for SRA’s<br />
Defense Strategic Business Unit in the National Security Sector,<br />
divides this work into three traditional elements, asset visibility,<br />
enterprise resource planning systems, and supply chain optimization.<br />
SRA has recently added a fourth area of expertise: fuel management.<br />
“Ultimately, when you improve the supply chain, part logistics<br />
or repairs, you reduce the life cycle cost of many platforms,” Batsakis<br />
stressed. SRA won an award in 2009 for helping the Army<br />
reduce supply chain costs of command, control, communication<br />
and computing equipment by $150 to $200 million.<br />
SRA has been working on many of these problems for three<br />
decades with U.S. Transportation Command. Its work for DLA is<br />
“smaller but strategic,” Batsakis said.<br />
SRA recently partnered with the Surface Deployment and Distribution<br />
Command to create a common operating picture tool that<br />
provides logistics visibility on Defense Transportation System shipments<br />
to every organization at every level. Its Integrated Surface<br />
Distribution Data Cleansing Capability (ISDDC) provides a single<br />
web-based interface for in-transit visibility of over 30 million shipment<br />
records, refreshed daily, over the last six fiscal years.<br />
SRA has also partnered with manufacturers of military equipment<br />
to reduce life cycle costs of their equipment. This business<br />
is still small, however. “We could do more on this,” Batsakis noted.<br />
Defense procurement offices often rely on OEMs to keep sustainment<br />
costs lean, either in initial bids or in long-term support<br />
contracts.<br />
Economizing on fuel requirements is now mandated in the<br />
design of new systems, land, air and sea. But physics sets limits on<br />
the fuel efficiency of military vehicles, which often measure usage<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
in gallons per mile rather than miles per gallon. SRA has acquired<br />
a firm with fuel expertise and combined it with SRA’s expertise in<br />
information technology. The aim is to track and protect all fuel<br />
shipments en route to usage points and then to economize where<br />
possible in the field. Even small proportional improvements could<br />
save hundreds of millions, Batsakis estimated.<br />
The SRA exec is confident he is in the right business. “Everyone<br />
I see in the military, from three stars to five stripers, wants to get<br />
more performance at lower cost.”<br />
BAE Systems’ Advanced Component Obsolescence Management<br />
(AVCOM) offers several levels of service for dealing with obsolescence<br />
challenges, according to Business Development Manager<br />
Randy Shropshire. In the initial acquisition stage, engineers can<br />
load in a bill of materials and AVCOM will run ‘what-if’ scenarios<br />
to ensure that the parts selected meet long-term goals of avoiding<br />
obsolescence.<br />
During program life, AVCOM checks part availability, flagging<br />
parts as single-source, multiple source, or likely to go obsolete.<br />
Where problems are likely, alerts are sent to clients and BAE’s own<br />
research group searches for alternative parts of the same form, fit<br />
and function. “You need to be proactive, to give them time to rectify<br />
the situation,” Shropshire said. BAE has both the software and<br />
subject matter experts with 20 years of obsolescence-management<br />
experience to make AVCOM proactive.<br />
AVCOM has been used by the U.S. Air Force since 2000—for<br />
example, for all the avionics on the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and by<br />
the Marines and Special Operations Command on mine resistant<br />
ambush protected vehicles. It is also used by major defense suppliers<br />
such as Boeing, Hawker Beechcraft, EADS, Northrop Grumman and<br />
Raytheon. AVCOM does obsolescence management nose-to-tail on<br />
Hawker’s T-6 Texan trainer. It has provided similar support for Hill<br />
Air Force Base’s C3I ground-based satellites.<br />
Real dollars are at stake here. Shropshire estimates that AVCOM<br />
helped Hill avoid $412 million in costs since 2002, avoided almost<br />
$200 million on the V-22 Osprey since 2004 and avoided $4.4 million<br />
on the T-6 in two-and-a-half years. “It has avoided over a half<br />
billion dollars in total.”<br />
Sustainment just got easier...<br />
BAE recently launched a new website for AVCOM. It enables<br />
users to exploit a database of more than 100 million parts and other<br />
AVCOM capabilities flexibly, choosing the exact level of service they<br />
need.<br />
Logistics Systems Incorporated has primarily focused on the U.S.<br />
Army logistics market. “We have been successfully engaged at the<br />
logistics wholesale, retail and headquarters levels, both in the continental<br />
United States and outside it,” summarized Henry Jennings,<br />
senior vice president of Business Development. In addition, LSI<br />
has provided logistics and life cycle planning support to the Missile<br />
Defense Agency, where it helped reduce total ownership costs of sensors<br />
through such techniques as depot-level business case analysis,<br />
standardization and interoperability analysis, sparing analysis, costbenefit<br />
analysis and assistance to MDA’s support strategy.<br />
Jennings attributes LSI’s success with Department of Defense<br />
logistics customers to several factors. The firm has a broad and<br />
deep understanding of defense logistics policies, procedures, and<br />
operational requirements. It has the technical expertise to deliver<br />
valuable solutions while working within defense parameters. Most<br />
important, LSI understands the objectives and challenges faced by<br />
defense customers.<br />
“As defense budgets draw down, we know that our customers,<br />
current and prospective, will continue to have program requirements<br />
and objectives but will have fewer resources to support them,”<br />
Jennings noted. “Our response to this challenge is to provide nolearning-curve<br />
solutions. Our logistics technical experts apply their<br />
skills with technology-based tools to deliver tailored, cost-effective<br />
solutions.” Jennings said LSI has been most successful when it has<br />
combined subject matter experts with proven technologies that customers<br />
can use to meet their own mission objectives. O<br />
For more information, contact MLF Editor Jeff McKaughan at<br />
jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com.<br />
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MLF_Aug2011.indd 1 8/5/2011 8:36:32 AM<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 33
NEXTISSUE<br />
Cover and In-Depth<br />
Interview with:<br />
The Publication of Record for the Military Logistics Community<br />
Gen. Raymond<br />
E. Johns Jr.<br />
U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command<br />
sPecial section<br />
The MRO Enterprise<br />
the maintenance, repair and overhaul process is what<br />
keeps the fleet flying, meeting operating requirements<br />
and delivering to the war fight.<br />
Features<br />
Obsolescence Management<br />
everything ages, but how gracefully is something that<br />
can certainly be predicted, managed and sustained.<br />
Asset Visibility<br />
managing the asset footprint for new programs.<br />
Condition-based Maintenance<br />
Does the concept work in a deployed environment?<br />
Future of Air Transport<br />
a critical eye of the concepts that will be the<br />
transports of the future. is it what we expect?<br />
BONUS DISTRIBUTION<br />
• NDTA<br />
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CECOM LCMC<br />
September 2011<br />
Vol. 5, Issue 8<br />
sPecial Pull-out<br />
suPPlement<br />
a comprehensive special supplement<br />
profiling U.s. army Communicationelectronics<br />
Command. this who’s who<br />
pull-out will include a cover and lead<br />
Q&a with Lane D. Collie, director of the<br />
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critical contracts, plus a two-page pictorial<br />
spread of CeCom’s senior leadership.<br />
Insertion Order Deadline: August 25, 2011 • Ad Materials Deadline: September 1, 2011<br />
To Advertise, Contact: Jane Engel, MLF Associate Publisher 301.670.5700 x 120 • jane@kmimediagroup.com
The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. <strong>KMI</strong> cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.<br />
MLF CALEND A R & DI RECTO RY<br />
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Lockheed Martin...................................................... 20<br />
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Trailer Transit ......................................................... 24<br />
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VT Miltope .............................................................. 13<br />
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calenDar<br />
August 27-29, 2011<br />
NGAUS 2011<br />
Milwaukee, Wis.<br />
www.ngaus.org/content.asp?bid=8207<br />
September 7-9, 2011<br />
International Society of Logistics<br />
Dallas, Texas<br />
www.sole.org/conference.asp<br />
September 10-14, 2011<br />
NDTA Forum & Expo<br />
Phoeniz, Ariz.<br />
www.ndtahq.com/events_forum_<br />
expo.htm<br />
September 27-29, 2011<br />
Modern Day Marine<br />
Quantico, Va.<br />
www.marinecorpsexpos.com<br />
October 10-12, 2011<br />
AUSA<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
www.ausa.org<br />
October 10-13, 2011<br />
Logistics Officers Association<br />
Fort Worth, Texas<br />
www.loanational.org/conference/<br />
October 17-21, 2011<br />
U.S. Army SDDC Traffic<br />
Management Workshop<br />
St. Louis, Mo.<br />
www.sddc.army.mil/events/default.aspx<br />
October 26-28, 2011<br />
TACOM LCMC APBI<br />
Dearborn, Mich.<br />
www.ndia.org/meetings/2520<br />
November 1-2, 2011<br />
PEO/SYSCOM Conference<br />
Fort Belvoir, Va.<br />
http://live.usaasc.info/peosyscomconference/<br />
November 1-3, 2011<br />
Tanker Airlift Association<br />
Nashville, Tenn.<br />
www.atalink.org<br />
November 14-17, 2011<br />
DoD Maintenance Symposium<br />
Fort Worth, Texas<br />
www.sae.org/events/dod<br />
February 28-March 2, 2012<br />
Defense Maintenance &<br />
Sustainment Summit<br />
San Diego, Calif.<br />
www.defensemaintenance.com<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 5.7 | 35
inDustry interView Military logistics ForuM<br />
Diane Giuliani is senior vice president and<br />
general manager of AAI Logistics & Technical<br />
Services (LTS) in Hunt Valley, Md. She<br />
is responsible for ensuring program execution<br />
and growth at this operating unit of<br />
Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc.<br />
company. Giuliani leads an organization of<br />
nearly 1,000 employees that provides integrated<br />
logistics support, operational services,<br />
maintenance and depot support for aerospace<br />
and defense customers in the U.S. and abroad.<br />
Q: Could you provide some background on<br />
AAI LTS and your work with the U.S. Department<br />
of Defense?<br />
A: DoD is by far our most important customer.<br />
LTS has long provided logistics services in<br />
support of AAI’s unmanned aircraft systems,<br />
test equipment and training devices. With Textron’s<br />
acquisition of AAI in 2007, we extended<br />
that cost-effective business model to the larger<br />
enterprise. We then leveraged that expertise<br />
to provide similar support to other original<br />
equipment manufacturers. AAI LTS operates<br />
in three areas: unmanned system services,<br />
platform logistics and mission equipment.<br />
In the unmanned area, LTS provides field<br />
service representatives, preset, reset, training,<br />
maintenance, flight acceptance support and<br />
turnkey operations through a fee-for-service<br />
business model. Platform logistics include,<br />
for example, aircraft component performance<br />
based logistics and contractor logistics support<br />
for aircrew and maintenance training systems.<br />
Mission equipment includes support of<br />
weather systems, chemical-biological defense<br />
systems and C4ISR program support.<br />
Q: What are the company’s main business<br />
areas?<br />
A: Textron Inc. is probably best known for<br />
Bell Helicopter and Cessna Aircraft Company.<br />
Within its Textron Systems business<br />
unit are Textron Marine & Land Systems,<br />
Textron Defense Systems, Lycoming Engines,<br />
AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, AAI Test<br />
& Training, as well as an advanced systems<br />
unit, which includes Overwatch, a provider<br />
of multi-source intelligence and geospatial<br />
analysis.<br />
Q: As a major player in military logistics, how<br />
36 | MLF 5.7<br />
Diane Giuliani<br />
Senior Vice President and General Manager<br />
AAI Logistics & Technical Services<br />
is AAI LTS helping DoD meet its current<br />
objectives?<br />
A: Many of our programs include availability<br />
incentives under PBL arrangements, and we<br />
also help meet the DoD’s objectives through<br />
public-private partnerships. We are proud that<br />
many of our programs maintain 100 percent<br />
mission availability.<br />
The U.S. Army/AAI LTS Shadow tactical<br />
unmanned aircraft system PBL team has<br />
received three major awards recently for reducing<br />
costs while improving readiness, including<br />
the 2010 Office of the Secretary of Defense<br />
[OSD] Gerald R. Beck System-Level Best PBL<br />
Implementation Award. The OSD-level recognition<br />
and delivery performance in partnership<br />
with our government customers together<br />
speak volumes about our drive for results in<br />
helping DoD meet its readiness and business<br />
objectives for affordable sustainment.<br />
Q: What are some of the new programs that<br />
AAI LTS is working on in partnership with<br />
DoD agencies and the military services?<br />
A: Three of our newer programs are fee-for-service<br />
training services with the AAI Unmanned<br />
Aircraft Systems’ Aerosonde platform at the<br />
U.S. Air Force Academy, contractor logistics<br />
support of the AN/TMQ-53 Tactical Meteorological<br />
Observing System, and an expanded<br />
role in support of the C-17 training system<br />
as part of a team led by L-3 Link. These three<br />
happen to be Air Force programs, but we have<br />
projects in work with Army, Navy and Marine<br />
Corps customers as well.<br />
Q: What challenges do you face in meeting the<br />
needs of the 21st century warfighter?<br />
A: The primary challenges are sustained readiness<br />
and deployment agility, lowering sustainment<br />
costs, and supporting the warfighter’s<br />
needs for superior situational awareness.<br />
Q: How is the larger enterprise, Textron Systems,<br />
helping with the military’s situational<br />
awareness needs?<br />
A: Textron Systems provides unmanned systems,<br />
from the vehicle itself to ground control<br />
systems and data terminals. So one aspect is<br />
supporting those systems. A second aspect is<br />
pushing toward mixed-fleet sharing of ISR and<br />
target assessment data.<br />
A third aspect includes leading-edge<br />
technologies like the FASTCOM system AAI<br />
Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Overwatch<br />
just demonstrated with ViaSat at the DoD’s<br />
Empire Challenge 11. FASTCOM, which stands<br />
for forward airborne secure transmissions and<br />
communications, is a secure, mobile network<br />
in a box that pushes voice, data and video to<br />
the tactical edge. It’s a good example of how<br />
Textron Systems operating units are capturing<br />
the combined value of our collective strengths<br />
in support of the military.<br />
AAI LTS supports these systems with logistics,<br />
training and field service to give our<br />
men and women in uniform every possible<br />
advantage.<br />
Q: How is AAI LTS ready to meet the challenging<br />
DoD budgetary times that are ahead?<br />
A: AAI has a longstanding reputation for innovation.<br />
We’re applying that mindset to technologies,<br />
certainly, but also to business processes<br />
and contracting models. In particular, there<br />
are efficiencies to be gained by supporting<br />
product families instead of individual products<br />
on a program-by-program basis. We help our<br />
customers gain those efficiencies.<br />
Q: How has AAI LTS positioned itself and<br />
prepared for 2012?<br />
A: Our unrelenting focus is on enabling readiness<br />
and improving affordability.<br />
Q: What are your goals for 2012?<br />
A: Simply stated, our goals are to execute effectively<br />
for the warfighters; innovate to lower<br />
the cost of sustainment; and be a great place<br />
to work. If we continue to set a high standard<br />
in these areas, everything else takes care of<br />
itself. O<br />
giuliani@aai.textron.com<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com
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