Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group

they need to enable faster, better-informed
decisions and the flexibility and confidence
that comes only with reliable, responsive
logistics support.
Prior to GCSS, supply systems were
very compartmentalized. Information sharing
was accomplished by batch updates at
periodic intervals between legacy systems,
and third-party applications were used to
provide limited fleet or enterprise views of
supply chain activity. Warfighters suffered
from the lack of real-time business intelligence
and limited ability to affect timely
changes in response to a very dynamic
operational environment.
The introduction of GCSS enabled
unprecedented access and integration
across legacy systems in near real-time that
dramatically changed the way warfighters
make support decisions. With a single
log-on, users can view asset balances and
order status across 300 base-level supply
accounts, Air Force depots, and even external
suppliers, such as the Defense Logistics
Agency. The resulting view of the supply
chain in motion enables smarter decisions
from an enterprise perspective. Local support
priorities are no longer considered in
isolation. Instead, critical spares are repositioned
to meet the greatest need of the Air
Force and the warfighter.
The GCSS architecture also provides a
mechanism for development of new functionality
that identifies and acts on specific
triggers between systems. For example,
16 | MLF 3.7
PHILLIP WAUGH
(AIR FORCE)
business rules that identify overdue shipments
in one system and automatically
checks for a receipt in another system or
shipment status through the Global Transportation
Network.
Q
How fully integrated and functional
throughout the entire supply
chain is GCSS?
PHILLIP WAUGH
(AIR FORCE)
The supply chain is supported by a collection
of nodes made up of numerous systems
in various stages of maturity hosted on
multiple platforms. GCSS is the net-centric
lynchpin that enables a services-oriented
solution that ties these systems together.
GCSS-Air Force provides a standards-based,
open architecture that handles the presentation,
security, messaging, collaboration
and hosting for many Air Force logistics
applications. Some systems are fully integrated
within GCSS, while others may only
use certain services, or remain an external
touch point. In addition, federation across
GCSS instances further enables shared services
and access to systems outside of the
hosting services enclave.
Net-centricity is a key performance
parameter for new and legacy systems.
GCSS provides the foundation from which
to build the bridge between stovepiped
applications and fully integrated systems.
The entire Air Force supply chain is supported
by GCSS to some extent, which
should continue to be a core component of
future logistics modernization efforts.
GCSS-Army is taking an incremental
approach to fielding that allows for testing
and refinement as new functionality
is introduced, resulting in a better final
product for soldiers. At the same time, the
Army Program Executive Office, Enterprise
Information Systems [PEO EIS] Enterprise
Resource Planning [ERP] Task Force is
pursuing a coordinated system integration
strategy that will allow GCSS-Army users
to benefit from shared capabilities in other
Army business areas such as finance and
personnel. When fully deployed, GCSS-
Army will share integrated data with organizations
and personnel throughout the
Army business enterprise, from the factory
to the foxhole.
GCSS-MC is not just replacing old
systems with a new one. It is enabling an
entirely new approach to Marine Corps
logistics based on simplified and streamlined
processes supported by modern technology.
Regardless of location, the way
logistics work is done and the tools used
to accomplish it will be the same. Block 1,
the first phase of the program, will integrate
tactical-level supply, maintenance
and service functionality in a shared data
environment. The functional solution will
provide the Marine Corps:
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LIEUTENANT COLONEL
JIM STONE
(MARINE CORPS)
Requests for services, maintenance
and supplies with automatic routing to
the appropriate authority for approval
and fulfillment
Real-time validated information
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