MANAGING INFORMATION
O
ver the years, Soldiers and leaders have often asked two questions about their logis- tics information technology
(IT) systems: Why can’t the Army’s tac- tical and installation logistics system be more like commercial business systems?; and why does the Army have separate IT systems for different logistics functions?
The Soldiers of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) and the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (2/1 AD) are not ask- ing these questions. Since July 2010 and August 2011, respectively, the two units have been using the Global Combat Sup- port System (GCSS-Army) for integrated supply, property accountability, and maintenance operations instead of their legacy logistics IT systems.
Based on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, GCSS-Army provides these Soldiers the ability to see and work with information in a single database, eliminating the separate stovepipe func- tional systems that each unit maintained. GCSS-Army is a huge leap forward as the rest of the tactical- and installation-level Army continues to use legacy software, such as the Standard Automated Retail Supply System (SARSS) and the Standard Army Maintenance System (SAMS).
NEW CAPABILITIES Although the legacy systems have served the logistics community well, GCSS- Army provides capabilities that the other systems just weren’t built to provide. First, GCSS-Army has a roles and per- missions capability to track personnel in the systems who are making transac- tions. With this capability, tactical and installation commanders can manage the internal controls of logistics and finan- cial processes. Second, GCSS-Army has an embedded financial functionality, which directly links logistics and financial
64 Army AL&T Magazine
actions, giving commanders greater con- trol and visibility.
This combination of roles and permis- sions and embedded financials provides an added benefit: For the first time, tacti- cal and installation logistics and financial processes are auditable. GCSS-Army can be used to show the accountability of funds and materiel.
In addition, units like the 11th ACR and 2/1 AD have accurate and consistent data across the business areas. No longer will Soldiers need to reconcile equipment records and open orders between the sep- arate legacy systems. With GCSS-Army, sustainment leaders have greater access than ever to real-time performance met- rics, requisition status, and job status.
The ERP on which GCSS-Army is built operates similarly to that used in commer- cial industry, including Coca-Cola Co. and Exxon Mobil Corp. Military agencies, such as the Defense Logistics Agency, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force, also use ERPs, as do allied armies including those of Canada and Germany.
FIELDING PLANS In October 2011, the 2/1 AD participated in an initial operational test and evalua- tion. Based on the successful completion of testing and approval for full deploy- ment, GCSS-Army is scheduled to start fielding by fall of this year.
GCSS-Army will be fielded in two waves. Wave 1 will include supply chain ware- house and finance functionality, which will replace SARSS at tactical and installa- tion levels. Once the first wave is complete, the Product Manager GCSS-Army will begin Wave 2, which fields functional- ity for property book, unit supply, and maintenance at tactical and installation levels, replacing systems like the Property
MULTIFACETED FUNCTIONALITY
Wave 1 of GCSS-Army fielding will include supply chain warehouse and finance functionality, which will replace the Standard Automated Retail Supply System at tactical and installation levels. Wave 2 will field functionality for property book, unit supply, and maintenance at tactical and installation levels. Here, Strykers are loaded onto an Air Mobility Command plane at Joint Base Balad, Iraq in October 2009, for transport to the United States, where they will be repaired and returned to fighting units. (U.S. Army photo by Mary Susan Barkley, U.S. Army Materiel Command.)
Book Unit Supply Enhanced and SAMS. Waves 1 and 2 will both be fielded to all Army components: active, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve.
With an anticipated user base of nearly 160,000 personnel, GCSS-Army fielding is estimated to take about two years for each of the two waves, finishing by the fourth quarter of FY17.
CARLOS MORRISON is Director, Cor- porate Information Office, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics (Army G-4/G-6). He holds a B.S. in business stud- ies from New Hampshire College and an M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University.
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