THE VISIBLE SUPPLY CHAIN


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OVID-19 has imposed chaos on industry supply chains around the world. Te pandemic has curtailed people’s ability to work in close proximity and assem- ble products in large facilities for transport by land,


air or sea. It has sent demand soaring for personal protective equipment and package delivery of consumer goods. Both of these effects have been detrimental to the traditional operations of business markets, with significant delays in production and distribution.


Te U.S. Army’s modernization efforts require careful manage- ment of multitiered supply chains to synthesize products that are essential to maximizing Soldier lethality and ensuring an unpar- alleled advantage to the close combat fighting force. Disruptions to these supply chains can set back production timelines for modernization projects, potentially delaying the fielding of crit- ical weapons and equipment to a deploying Soldier and squad.


In order to mitigate these compounding risks, the Army’s Proj- ect Manager for Integrated Visual Augmentation System (PM IVAS) overlaid data on COVID-19 “hot spots”—areas where the rate of infection is rising—with the display of their tiered supply- chain tracker. Te objective was to equip leaders with the best data possible to make optimal acquisition and fielding decisions for the project.


PM IVAS had already paved the way in Army acquisition best practices by applying rapid-prototype acquisition approaches to deliver a single platform for Soldiers to fight, rehearse and train.


EYES ON THE FUTURE IVAS, assigned to the Program Executive Office (PEO) for Soldier, is adapting Microsoft’s HoloLens commercial mixed-reality technology to develop a tactical goggle display complete with a conformal wearable battery, squad radio and integrated sensors that will increase a Soldier’s battlefield awareness and ability to rapidly identify and engage potential threats.


Te device integrates next-generation 24/7 situational awareness tools, including aided target recognition and squad performance metrics; high-resolution simulations that enable a portable synthetic training environment; and a networked cloud pack- age for increased secure communications, ultimately delivering a suite of capabilities that improve Soldier sensing, decision-making, target acquisition and target engagement.


PM IVAS found success partnering with industry and other Army organizations, collectively making up “Team IVAS,” to develop


46 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2020


and procure the highly specialized, integrated materiel solution. However, as COVID-19 emerged, international quarantine proto- cols impacted the global supply chain and had the potential to severely impact the project’s delivery schedule.


Nicholas Pate, PM IVAS manufacturing engineer, and Daniel Maxwell, PM IVAS senior business intelligence analyst, were part of the team that was integral in leveraging the already


SEEING THE SUPPLY CHAIN


Full visibility of the supply chain has been a high priority for the PM IVAS team, in collaboration with industry partners. The security and quality of the composite IVAS system that Soldiers will receive depend on it. (Photo by Courtney E. Bacon, PM IVAS Public Affairs)


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