ALL ROADS LEAD TO SUSTAINMENT
To accomplish our mission in future fights, medical logistics will need to be integrated into the Army sustainment enterprise and sustainment integrated into all medical acquisition programs.
Since its activation in 2019, U.S. Army Medical Logistics Command (AMLC) has been focused on ensuring that oper- ational medical capabilities are sustainable for Soldiers and the joint force. As the Army’s Life Cycle Management Command for medical materiel, AMLC’s focus is to integrate sustainment considerations from the start of the acquisition process.
To lead this change, AMLC’s Integrated Logistics Support Center (ILSC)’s acquisition professionals are working in collaboration with materiel developers to bring key sustainment consider- ations, including centralized supply chain, materiel management and catalog standardization, into every stage of the acquisition process.
CENTRALIZED MATERIEL MANAGEMENT Te current military medical supply chain relies heavily on a global “just-in-time” manufacturing, inventory and distribu- tion process. Surges in demand or disruptions caused by natural disasters or global conflict can have catastrophic impacts on turnaround time, especially because many pharmaceuticals and medical devices are manufactured in other countries.
From an acquisition standpoint, that is why cataloging and sourc- ing—a function of the acquisition life cycle—and supply chain management become very complex. Te Army doesn’t produce its own medical equipment and supplies. Terefore, the Army does not control defense contractor production lines.
Instead, AMLC partners with a global commercial industry including hundreds, if not thousands, of vendors, each of which has its own cycles of product development and business-driven change. Te Army isn’t the only—or largest—customer for these high-demand medical devices and supplies.
To ensure the Army has the resources it needs, the AMLC’s ILSC is focused on centralized materiel management—a func- tion most ILSCs are responsible for within their respective commodity. However, historically, the approach to medical mate- riel management varied by region and operational theater and relied heavily on commercially available products. Te outcome of this approach was varied silos of supply.
To break down these silos and increase asset visibility across the force, the ILSC has been supporting an Army initiative called Medical Logistics in Campaigning (MiC). MiC is a combined effort of 16 different agencies working to streamline and inte- grate medical logistics processes into the wider Army sustainment enterprise, so that the Army can quickly transition from peace- time to a wartime operational environment.
LEARNING ABOUT CT
Members of AMLC’s Logistics Assistance Program provide training on a computed tomography, or CT, machine during a site visit to the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency’s Medical Maintenance Operations Division at Tracy, California. (Photo courtesy of Logistics Assistance Program, AMLC)
MiC aims to simplify and standardize the medical supply cata- log and integrate medical materiel into the Army’s systems of record, aligning with other commodities. Te ILSC is enabling this integration by compiling and analyzing data to ensure supply and demand for medical materiel is captured and tracked within Army systems to allow commanders at echelon to make data- driven decisions about their medical readiness.
SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE When the Army must transition from competition to crisis, AMLC must be prepared to mitigate risk, especially if supply chains are contested or otherwise disrupted. AMLC must
24 Army AL&T Magazine Spring 2025
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112
