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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Army Materiel Command is using real-time data to modernize how the Army provides support to the warfighter in a contested environment.
Senior Army leaders have tasked AMC with leading the strategy for contested logistics and AMC Commander Gen. Charles Hamilton said this will require the Army to rethink almost the entire way it supports the Joint Force – from using new platforms and rewriting doctrine to exploring autonomous resupply and modernizing the Organic Industrial Base.
“It’s almost like giving support while you’re modernizing at the same time. The whole U.S. Army is doing that, and AMC is not absent from that equation,” Hamilton said. “Sustainment has to be bad for our enemies.”
As the force builds the Army of 2030, AMC is providing an edge to ongoing operations in Europe. During a recent ceremony, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James McConville highlighted the importance of AMC’s ongoing support.
“We have the best logisticians in the world, and the feedback I get from our top generals serving around the world is they could not be successful without logistics, and specifically, without Army Materiel Command,” McConville said.
AMC’s support includes cutting-edge work in data analytics. Since August 2022, members of the AMC Analysis Group have been deploying to Europe to support Army, Joint Force and multi-national partners through predictive sustainment – and the results speak for themselves.
“It’s clear to me that data-enabled decisions will decide future battles,” Hamilton said. “The right data, at the right time, at the right place, will enable faster and better decisions at echelon, and allow us to out-think and out-pace any adversary.”
The AMCAG has developed several tools within the AMC Predictive Analytics Suite to solve problems in support of U.S. and partner and allied operations. What makes these tools cutting edge is not only the capabilities they provide, but that they incorporate data from multinational partners.
“We are providing decision support and analytics at the edge,” said Christopher Hill, AMCAG director and AMC’s chief data and analytics officer. “It’s about identifying problems and solving them before they even occur.”
One of these tools gives a holistic picture of readiness, where leaders can see what is impacting readiness, what could impact future readiness and ways to mitigate risk. It is comprehensive, showing pieces of equipment that are down, which parts are needed to fix equipment, where the parts are, how long the parts will take to arrive and roughly when the equipment will be repaired and ready to use.
Another tool acts similarly to a wedding registry. APAS will show leaders what equipment units have, donated equipment and where this equipment could go.
“It is like your bank account – you know how much money you have, and you know how you want to spend it,” said Terrance Wilson, a program manager with the AMCAG.
There is also a tool that can forecast information, such as when ammunition will be available. In this capability, there is a scenario developer that can pull information to show how supplies change in different situations.
These tools are roughly 50% contractor, 50% government-made, with AMCAG experts helping to code and field them. In addition to members of the AMCAG providing reach-back support, 15 team members have deployed – some several times – since August 2022.
“Civilians are the unsung heroes,” Hill said. “There are a bunch of civilians who will put their lives on hold to support Soldiers.”
This support is not only making a difference in real time, but it is also providing critical lessons learned. One is the importance of moving at the speed of combat. Another is flexibility as the team uses analytics at the edge.
“The problem changes,” Hill said. “The whole nature of combat has changed.”
Accessibility is another key takeaway. This is one of the first times in history data from different nations is being pulled into a single system to aid decision support. Coalition partners need access, Hill said.
One final lesson learned is the importance of simplicity. When someone downloads a new app on their phone, that person typically doesn’t need a manual to figure out how to use it. This ease of use should be the same for the data tools, said Wilson.
“If it’s not that easy, not that intuitive, then we failed,” he said.
As the Army continues to provide support and build the Army of 2030, predictive sustainment and analytics will continue to play a critical role.
“We have this capability in the Army of 2023,” Hill said. “We’re doing it today. We’re learning. We’re growing and we’re postured to take it to better places.”
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2023 15:58 |
| Story ID: | 447076 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 298 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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