Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group
Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group
Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group
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Tactical Logistics Support<br />
A ROUNDTABLE ON THE STATUS OF THE GLOBAL COMBAT SUPPORT SYSTEM AND WHAT IT WILL DELIVER TO THE<br />
WARFIGHTER—AND WHEN!<br />
Supporting warfighters in operations<br />
around the globe is certainly not an easy<br />
task, and comprehensive solutions that<br />
allow transparency and visibility—and<br />
security—of the support tail from start<br />
to finish have been hard to come by. The<br />
Global Combat Support System has been<br />
developing for some time with the objective<br />
Q<br />
How will GCSS change the way<br />
the warfighter requests, tracks<br />
and receives supplies?<br />
COLONEL<br />
JEFFREY K. WILSON<br />
(ARMY)<br />
GCSS-Army is a Web-based tactical<br />
logistics system that automates processes<br />
and integrates functions. Retail supply<br />
functionality was first implemented in<br />
December 2007 and is successfully operating<br />
at the Army National Training Center,<br />
Fort Irwin, Calif. Users enter customer supply<br />
requirements only once, and they are<br />
immediately visible to all parties involved,<br />
providing an accurate view and status.<br />
The system saves time by automatically<br />
batching and transmitting requirements<br />
so these functions no longer need to be<br />
manually performed at specific time intervals.<br />
GCSS-Army eliminates the need for<br />
www.MLF-kmi.com<br />
of provided an integrated real-time picture<br />
across the combat service support spectrum.<br />
The goal is to be in an informed position<br />
to make decisions affecting operational<br />
support needs throughout the deployment<br />
environment.<br />
Systems are now in place that have<br />
taken GCSS from the theoretical to the<br />
time-consuming processes such as closeouts,<br />
backups, restores, and separate input<br />
and output logs.<br />
GCSS-Army simplifies the customer<br />
reconciliation process, which previously<br />
required hundreds of man-hours to execute.<br />
A re-engineered process for tracking<br />
and adjudicating overdue shipments provides<br />
a more precise and timely method for<br />
closing and reordering. GCSS-Army managers<br />
at all levels have a better view of the<br />
supply chain and more tools to accurately<br />
and efficiently handle the process.<br />
LIEUTENANT COLONEL<br />
JIM STONE<br />
(MARINE CORPS)<br />
Global Combat System Marine Corps<br />
[GCSS-MC] is scheduled to begin deployment<br />
in fiscal year 2010. It will forever<br />
change the way logistics support is delivered<br />
to the Marine Corps by providing standardized<br />
business processes and cutting-edge<br />
practical. Military Logistics Forum recently<br />
had the opportunity to pose three questions<br />
to Army, Air Force and Marine Corps GCSS<br />
offices to see where they are and what common<br />
ground they have.<br />
We spoke with Colonel Jeffrey K. Wilson<br />
(Army), Phillip Waugh (Air Force) and Lieutenant<br />
Colonel Jim Stone (Marine Corps).<br />
technology to Marines in both garrison<br />
and deployed environments. Unlike the<br />
Corps’ legacy logistics systems, GCSS-MC<br />
goes wherever warfighters go to provide<br />
Marine Air Ground Task Forces [MAGTFs]<br />
and the supporting establishment of an<br />
integrated, Web-based system designed to<br />
capture reliable, relevant and near realtime<br />
information. Requests for products<br />
and services are initiated at the lowest<br />
possible level, and the system provides a<br />
single point of data entry—a combination<br />
of functions that translates into improved<br />
speed and accuracy of logistics information<br />
and improved responsiveness of the<br />
logistics chain. In the past, when Marines<br />
have been deployed in austere environments,<br />
the lack of visible information<br />
has caused unfulfilled requests, redundant<br />
request and fulfillment, and dependency<br />
on forward-deployed materiel. In contrast,<br />
GCSS-MC will provide a clear picture of<br />
demand and inventory up and down the<br />
logistics chain so Marines will know the<br />
status of their requests, the availability<br />
of inventory and services, and the readiness<br />
of their equipment. They will have<br />
secure access to the critical information<br />
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