ARMY DATA: FROM THE FOXHOLE TO THE PENTAGON
information officer/G-6; and others to define sustainment requirements early in the technology life cycle. We also help program executive offices include sustain- ment language in contracts and create life cycle sustainment plans for fielded systems.
However, the introduction of the tacti- cal network and the return of great power competition bring significant new demands for speed and rigor. In addition to heightening our focus on life cycle engagement with program executive offices and other Army technology organi- zations, we are challenging the status quo to redesign network sustainment from the ground up.
THE OLD WAY For much of the last 18 years of combat, the Army operated under the force gener- ation model, which offered generous 180-day periods for whole-unit reconsti- tution and equipment reset. Under this system, it could take up to six months for CECOM to overhaul and return network equipment, using 26 different sources of repair.
This met the Army’s need for C5ISR sustainment during asymmetric combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it led to increased costs, long repair turnaround times when units would be without needed equipment, and a general decrease in readiness to fight a near-peer adversary. In a multidomain, unpredict- able conf lict against a well-equipped enemy, this approach would put Soldiers’ ability to fight and win—and their very lives—in serious jeopardy.
So we’ve taken a hard look at ourselves to drive reform and introduce new capabil- ities in several key areas—our “new way” of doing business. Tis new approach to sustainment is nested with the Army’s effort to accelerate technology insertion
and close critical gaps by fielding new capability sets on a two-year basis. Tese technology sets build on one another, are infused with commercial solutions, and are informed by Soldier-led experimenta- tion. Tis provides flexibility to augment and integrate information technology capabilities as they emerge from indus- try. Sustainment efforts are adapting to support this approach.
INCREASING SUPPLY AVAILABILITY CECOM’s No. 1 priority is supply avail- ability—getting the right part to the right place at the right time—and we are making steady progress toward our 100 percent goal. For example, in FY17, supply availability was at 77 percent, but by the end of FY19, it will be 93 percent.
A key part of our supply availability strategy is pricing contracts in advance, based on forecast needs, and moving to longer-term, 10-year contracts for key parts—we will have six such contracts by the end of this fiscal year. Tese contracts procure from multiple supply sources, and include language for surge production and expedited delivery in case contingencies arise.
Back orders are a sister metric to supply availability and a key indicator of the health of CECOM supply operations. Tanks to similar disciplined reform, we have brought back orders down from more than 8,000 in FY17 to slightly under 3,900 this fiscal year.
IMPLEMENTING REPAIR CYCLE FLOATS Today, the Army has transitioned away from the force generation model to the sustainable readiness model, which is designed around 90-day prepare modules. Given this change, CECOM is aggres- sively pursuing repair-cycle floats to get
THE NETWORK AT WORK
A Soldier uses a network device on the Integrated Tactical Network during a live-fire exercise in Germany. The Army’s tactical network encompasses a huge number of devices, products and technologies, all of which require regular maintenance and repair. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Cofield, U.S. Army Europe)
equipment back to units as quickly as possible.
Te idea is simple: Maintain pools, or
“f loats,” of ready-to-issue replacement systems to reduce turnaround times to practically nothing. In FY18, CECOM created the Army’s first-ever float pool with 36 Satellite Transportable Termi- nals, Forces Command’s highest-priority C5ISR system. Tat same year, we built floats across six systems totaling 215 units, and in FY19, that has risen to 13 systems totaling 319 units.
REDUCING REPAIR CYCLE TIMES CECOM is laser-focused on reducing repair cycle times to get network equip- ment back in the field faster. For example,
https://asc.ar my.mil 33
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 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156
