SYSTEMIZING COTS IT
This ad hoc commercial repair process may be lengthy, provides little prioritization and does not track system readiness. Most importantly, this process is not easily replicated on the battlefield.
ANTICIPATION
With the goal of improving unit and system readiness, an initiative is now underway that will leverage the standard Army supply system to support COTS IT within the C4ISR domain.
COTS IT, these components are consid- ered “modified” COTS IT repair parts and include such things as integrated cir- cuit cards, which transitioned well into the standard supply system.
To set FBCB2/BFT support up for suc- cess, the Project Manager (PM) for Joint Battle Command – Platform (JBC-P) issued spares to the tactical supply sup- port activities during total package fielding. Also, depot maintenance techni- cal manuals, training support packages and test fixtures were developed, and depot technicians were trained. Tis tra- ditional supply support and depot repair model is now being replicated for JBC-P, the latest incarnation of FBC2/BFT. Tis model will be leveraged and replicated to also transition C4ISR COTS IT systems into the standard supply support system and depot repairs.
Already, CECOM and PEO C3T have moved COTS IT “consumable” repair parts such as cables and peripherals into the standard Army supply system, sup- ported by the Defense Logistics Agency.
68 Army AL&T Magazine January-March 2017
Te next step will be to move COTS IT “repairable” equipment such as hand-held devices, laptops and server components into the standard Army supply system supported by CECOM.
GETTING IT RIGHT PEO C3T’s Product Manager for Fires Support Command and Control (FSC2), working hand in hand with CECOM, anticipates all its systems will be in the standard Army supply system within the next 24 months. Te capabilities leading the pack from FSC2 include the Pocket Sized Forward Entry Device (PFEDS) used by forward observers to capture target data and pass it to the fire sup- port officer; the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), which provides fully automated support for planning, coordinating, controlling and executing fires and effects such as mor- tars, field artillery cannons, rockets and missiles, and close air support; and CEN- TAUR, a lightweight hand-held device that calculates indirect fires data. Not far behind are the systems within the Product Manager for Strategic Mission
Command portfolio, including the Com- mand Post of the Future, an automated system that enables the warfighter to visu- alize the battlefield and plan missions. In FY19, when the Command Post Com- puting Environment—part of the Army’s larger move to a common infrastructure known as the Common Operating Envi- ronment—is fielded, it will debut as part of the standard supply system.
To address the consistent challenge of complexity, PEO C3T, which is respon- sible for developing and fielding many C4ISR capabilities, and CECOM, which is responsible for the sustainment of C4ISR capabilities, are using lessons learned and attempting to stay ahead of the new logistics processes the Army is implementing.
For example, the move to transition COTS IT hardware into the standard system falls in line with the Global Com- bat Support System – Army (GCSS-A), which is fielding now and will integrate all supply, maintenance, property and tacti- cal finance data into a single automated
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