ARMY AL&T
safety, suitability, and supportability tenets before fi elding to the services.
For its superb work, the JLAC-CBD was recognized at the 2009 U.S. Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) Annual Awards Ceremony as the recipient of the Army Acquisition Excellence Award: Transforming the Way We Do Business. This recognition is a testament to the contributions and innovation of the team in the area of weapon systems sustainment.
Information Technology (IT): Tying It Together
The JPEO’s IT systems are the critical component of this strategy. Without a fl exible, robust, and easy-to-use IT structure, full and open access to critical
Maximizing the investments made during wartime and increased demand periods must be balanced by deliberate study and action to ensure preparedness during future surge requirements.
CBDP acquisition information cannot exist. Without access to this data, trust- ing relationships cannot develop between the JPEO-CBD and its stakeholders.
SGT Sean Christen (right), a team leader with the CBRN Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Co., Special Troops Battalion (STB), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, suits up combat engineer SGT Matthew Torrence in a Level-A CBRN suit during the STB’s cross-brief training. (U.S. Army photo by SSG Michael Pryor.)
10 APRIL –JUNE 2010
At the center of this information exchange is the Joint Acquisition Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Knowledge System (JACKS). JACKS is a secure IT site that provides a single-entry point to CBRN defense equipment characteristics, capabilities, and acquisition information. JACKS is not a database, but rather a “portal” to access reliable and timely data harvested from other offi cial logistics and capa- bilities systems. It provides authorized users access to CBRN equipment advisory messages, training materi- als, and contact information. It allows users to search and display information about CBRN equipment, includ- ing name, part number, and/ or category, stock number, description, cage locations, and service-specifi c manage- ment instructions, as well as packaging, freight, and other critical logistics details. JACKS is a “one-stop shop” for CBRN logistics informa- tion, ties into the services’ existing logistics supply management systems, and provides 24-hour help- desk information on all CBRN items.
There are challenges ahead, but the work continues at
many levels. Industrial base mainte- nance concerns are at the forefront of the JPEO-CBD’s actions to ensure appropriate capabilities exist to respond to the Nation’s needs. Maximizing the investments made during wartime and increased demand periods must be balanced by deliberate study and action to ensure preparedness during future surge requirements.
Although the JPEO-CBD’s approach to implement a truly joint sustainment strategy is still emerging, the results have been positive. All the initiatives discussed have resulted in tangible cost avoidance, better business processes, and improved communications. More importantly, these initiatives are helping the JPEO-CBD evolve from the current multiservice sustainment processes to a joint sustainment process that focuses on building alliances.
Author’s Note: Gabe Patricio of Patricio Enterprises and Julius Evans, JPEO-CBD Public Affairs Offi cer, contributed to this article.
LTC VINCENT JOHNSTON is the Joint Product Manager for Recon- naissance and Platform Integration, Edgewood Arsenal, MD. He holds a B.S. in biology from the University of Tampa, an M.B.A. from the Naval Postgraduate School, and an M.S. in IT from George Washington University. An AAC member, Johnston is certifi ed Level III in program management and Level II in systems planning, research, development, and engineering-systems engineering; test and evaluation; pro- duction, quality, and manufacturing; and life-cycle logistics.
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