USTRANSCOM Logist ics Susta inment Division (TCJ4 -L)

LOGISTICS OPTIMIZER USTRANSCOM stands ready to deliver the Nation’s objectives

anywhere and anytime.

Volume 6, Issue 2

30 June 2018

Together, We Deliver.

Introduction of Articles

Mr. Adrian Rivera, TCJ4-LT

Hello and wishing everyone an early “Happy Fourth of July”

celebration. We are halfway through the calendar year and we have provided another newsletter with articles providing a plethora of information. You may notice, as you read through the articles, that all but one were written by TCJ4-L personnel. Please remember that we are looking for articles from the entire logistics enterprise. This is an opportunity to present your information to a large audience while gaining insight to other organizations. Please refer to page 9 for article submission.

We kick things off with the West Point Cadet Capstone Program in which our very own Mr. Michael Hansen fully supported the young and motivated Cadets. Next, LCDR Teter provides an overview of the Theater Distribution Plans (TDPs) as it pertains to all Geographic Combatant Commands (GCCs). We then move to In-Transit Visibility (ITV) modernization, commercial services, and logistics tales. Finally, we end with Integrated Data Environment (IDE) and Global Transportation Network (GTN) Convergence (IGC) updates.

Everyone have a safe and awesome summer!

West Point Cadet Capstone Program

Ms. Kay Clodfelter, TCJ4-LM

The United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York offers Cadets in their senior year the opportunity to participate in the Cadet Capstone Program. The mission of the Capstone Program is to provide the senior Cadets a culminating year-long integrative and immersive real world experience that uses a small team approach to solve complex problems for real clients. Focusing on real world interdisciplinary problems also provides the opportunity for USMA

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

West Point Cadet Capstone Program

1

Standardized Theater Distribution Plans (TDPs)

4

Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) and In-Transit Visibility (ITV) Implementation Branch Update

4

Commercial Services

5

Logistics Tales 6

Integrated Data Environment (IDE) and Global Transportation Network (GTN)

7

Questions 9

Next Edition 9

Previous Editions 9

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faculty members to mentor the cadets. Ideally, these projects allow cadets to conduct connected and relevant research by solving problems of strategic national interest.

In August 2017, LTC John Hiltz, former Chief of the TCJ4-L Metrics, Analysis, and Sustainment Branch and current Instructor in the USMA Department of Systems Engineering (DSE), contacted the TCJ4-L Division Chief, Mr. Mike Hansen. LTC Hiltz identified USTRANSCOM’s Closewatch Dashboard as a potential area where senior Cadets in the DSE could apply appropriate methods from their undergraduate curriculum to enhance the current product. Mr. Hansen agreed to support the project as the Client, and assigned MAJ Dereck Wilson (TCJ4-LM Branch Chief) as the liaison to provide LTC Hiltz and the Cadet team the support needed to work the project.

Soon after the agreement, several members of the Capstone Team came together to work the Closewatch Dashboard Process Improvement Project. After two weeks of collaboration through gathering data and investigative research with MAJ Wilson and other employees from the Metrics Branch, the Cadet team scoped their project to: Identifying and improving upon predicting shipment delivery dates of the Closewatch data population.

By mid-September of 2017, the team developed their project plan and were prepared to brief their client. LTC Hiltz and the Cadets traveled to USTRANSCOM for their initial face-to-face engagement with Mr. Hansen. This was an invaluable trip for the Cadets. Not only did they meet with an actual client within the DoD, they got a brief glimpse into seeing their work helping to solve a strategic problem. Throughout their day at USTRANSCOM, the cadets met with multiple members from the J4-L Division, DLA liaisons, and the Director of TCJ5/J4, RDML Peter Clarke. Additionally, the Cadets explained the Closewatch Dashboard project would analyze and sort container shipment data to construct a predictive model that would anticipate the delivery date of shipments across the globe (Figure 1). Upon receipt of several data files with thousands of entries recording the movement of containers, the Cadets developed a model predicting the arrival time of shipments based on factors such as class of supply, destination, shipping company, and other various attributes. To analyze the effectiveness of the improved algorithm, calculations for estimated deliveries were run on shipments that were snapshotted on a specific date in time. By comparing these results to the date the shipment actually arrived and also against the old algorithm, the validity and accuracy of the improved algorithm was evaluated. These improvements focused on the algorithm used to estimate when a shipment will leave its current segment. The improved algorithm decreased the mean difference from Required Delivery Data (RDD) by 3 days using an updated decision support tool. (Figure 2).

Fiigure 1—Closewatch Dashboard End-to-End tool

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As the end of the school year approached, the Cadet Team wrapped up their project and prepared an out-brief with Mr. Hansen. As a generous outreach, LTC Hiltz invited Mr. Hansen to travel to West Point to receive the out-brief. LTC Hiltz also extended the opportunity for Mr. Hansen to participate as a judge in the annual West Point Projects Day. Each year, hundreds of cadets from all academic departments participate in Projects Day by presenting a design project or thesis. Whether individually or as a team, cadets demonstrate their ability to integrate academic and military knowledge and skills, as well as demonstrate presentation and communications skills. The event also gives cadets a chance to explore majors, learn from examples, and fulfill an integrative experience requirement.

In May 2018, Mr. Hansen and MAJ Wilson traveled to the USMA in West Point to meet with the Cadet Capstone team. Due to the timing of the trip, they were also able to attend the 2018 General Donald R. Keith Memorial Capstone Symposium where Mr. Hansen served as a judge and scored six separate ‘Problem-Solving’ projects throughout the day.

After the formal portion of Projects Day ended, LTC Hiltz and his Cadet Capstone Team provided their final Project out-brief by reviewing the Project problem statement, parameters, research conducted, as well as examples of how they developed better decision support tools for the algorithm. Mr. Hansen provided positive feedback and mentioned his appreciation for all the hard work the Cadets put into the Project. The session concluded with Mr. Hansen asking the Cadets what they learned while going through this endeavor. By and large the Cadets agreed that the quality of the data plays a critical role in all operational analysis. The Cadets also enjoyed learning about the functions of USTRANSCOM. As a result of the capstone, the Cadets delivered a sustainable predictive algorithm and data-driven Closewatch Automation Process to USTRANSCOM.

Figure 2—Decision Support Diagram

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Standardized Theater Distribution Plans

LCDR Sean Teter, TCJ4-LS

Recently, USTRANSCOM and the six GCCs embarked on an ambitious project: a total

rewrite of all TDPs. The TDPs are important documents for the GCCs providing detailed theater mobility and distribution analysis to assist in campaign planning. As the Joint Deployment Distribution Coordinator under the Unified Command Plan for the Department of Defense, USTRANSCOM has a key role in assisting the GCCs with this task. USTRANSCOM has responsibility for providing the format, content, and schedule of the TDPs. The GCCs, meanwhile, are charged with following TRANSCOM’s guidelines and writing the TDP for their area of responsibility (AOR). Previous revisions of the documents had diverged between GCCs, resulting in a number of different formats. For this evolution, USTRANSCOM is streamlining the format, standardizing the document across the GCCs, and making it more useful in the process.

While USTRANSCOM is responsible for the format, the command did not want to create it in a vacuum. Therefore, as the torchbearer for USTRANSCOM’s TDP responsibilities, the Distribution Management Branch (TCJ4-LS) recently hosted representatives from all six GCCs and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) for a TDP conference. The goal for the conference was to agree upon TDP format and content amongst the Stakeholders. The conference was a large success, bringing all the respective organizations to agreement on best practices across the GCCs and jump starting the revision process.

Perhaps more important than the TDP effort, the conference brought logisticians from across the globe and the enterprise and put them together in one room. This offered a unique opportunity for logisticians to glean lessons learned and best practices from their counterparts in other organizations. Additionally, it allowed logistics planners from different AORs to meet and develop relationships with one another. As distribution becomes more and more trans-regional, it becomes more important for logisticians to know how their AOR interacts with others, and who to reach out to about these interrelationships. As an enterprise, we cannot afford to stay stove-piped, and this conference was an excellent step in integrating the worldwide distribution team.

Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) and In Transit Visibility (ITV) Implementation Branch update

Mr. Mike Crupe, TCJ4-LT

The branch is working three items of interest to logisticians:

First, we’re championing ITV modernization to update cargo tagging policy, supporting manuals, and regulations to add near real time tracking devices and eliminate redundant active radio frequency identification (aRFID) requirements. We wrote an ITV Modernization White Paper and staffed it with members of the OSD Supply Chain Integration (SCI) chaired Asset Visibility Working Group which includes JS/J4, Services “4s”, and Geographic Combatant Command reps. We’ve briefed our recommendations to the 20 March Distribution Steering Group, 16 May Supply Chain Exec Steering Committee (SCESC), and 11 June USTRANSCOM and Army Material Command staff talks. In summary, we advocate OSD/SCI needs to update their current in transit visibility policy to tag containers, rolling stock, and air pallets with active radio frequency identification (aRFID) devices. Active RFID tags are mostly redundant for sustainment shipments and inadequate for deployment shipments without an interrogator infrastructure. Satellite/cellular tags are now available for near real time tracking. Government airlift and sealift manifests along

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with commercial carriers' electronic data interchange (EDI) messages (i.e. pick up, delivery, etc.) provide adequate ITV between routine sustainment nodes.

Next, we observed cargo data flow and ITV of an Army Brigade (10th Mountain Division) deployment from Ft Drum NY to Port Arthur TX, 14 May to 9 June 18. The Joint Readiness Exercise 2018 began with 1,541 pieces of cargo in marshalling operations at Ft Drum with subsequent installation deployment and rail load upload operations. We then witnessed the rail off load and Cape Washington ship upload operations at Port of Philadelphia. Minor ITV issues noted include a Port of Philadelphia located radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator incorrectly registered (therefore reporting the wrong location), some cargo that arrived at Philadelphia reported as still departing Ft Drum due to Cargo Movement Operations System (CMOS) reporting issue, along with duplicate tags, incorrect port of embarkation and port of debarkation, and incorrect DoD address activity codes (DODAAC). We also observed the Port Arthur ship off-load and Joint Task Force - Port Opening (JTF-PO) operations for onward cargo operations to Ft Polk LA.

Finally, we represented the Command at the FY18 Logistics Functional Community (LFC) Mission Critical Occupation (MCO) revalidation. Simply put, logisticians from the Services, DLA, and USTRANSCOM met to rack and stack the most critical civilian salary and wage grade logistics job series to identify mission critical occupations. If there are manpower shortages in the MCOs, we risk failing to achieve the Department’s strategic goals (i.e. strategic objective 1.1. “Restore military readiness to build a more lethal force.”) Mr. Terence Emmert, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel Readiness wrote “having the right human capital skill sets to support and execute logistics operations such as (depot) production and transportation operations in this complex environment are crucial.” The five salaried MCOs are GS-0346 (logistics management), 2101 (transportation specialist), 2130 (traffic management), 1152 (production control), and 2010 (inventory management). What this means is these five job series should get priority personnel hiring and incentive (i.e. relocation) actions.

Commercial Services

Mr. Dave Blackford, TCJ4-LC

Commercial Services Branch (TCJ4-LC) officially stood up in October 2017 to support the commercial air service programs, such as the Next Generation Delivery Service (NGDS) small package contract and the International Heavyweight Air Tender (IHAT) program. The Commercial Services Branch recently assumed program management responsibilities for the domestic air tender program and the Category A (CAT A) III contract in February 2018, previously managed by Air Mobility Command (AMC). Each program managed under the Commercial Services Branch is solely for cargo. For information on each program, please refer to our webpage at https://ww2.ustranscom.mil/commair/index.cfm.

NGDS is a mandatory-use government-wide solution for small package delivery services for DoD and Federal Agencies. Cost Reimbursable Contractors are also eligible to use NGDS, but not mandatory. It is a consolidation of the following four programs:

General Services Administration’s Domestic Delivery Services (DDS3), Air Mobility Command’s Total Delivery Services (TDS), Surface Deployment and Distributions Command’s Surface Small Package (SSPII), and Small Package Ground Tenders. NGDS provides domestic express (air) and ground delivery door-to-door services up to and including 150 lbs. within the CONUS; domestic express delivery services up to and including 300 lbs. between CONUS and Alaska (AK), Hawaii (HI) and Puerto Rico (PR) and within AK, HI and PR; and international express delivery for shipments up to and including 300 pounds.

The IHAT program provides time-definite pickup and delivery service for shipments 301 pounds and over, less than planeload for international shipping requirements to locations not served by the AMC channel or contracted airlift. Pickup and delivery locations include CONUS outbound, OCONUS to CONUS, and lateral (OCONUS to OCONUS). The IHAT program provides limited arms, ammunition, and explosives (AA&E) capability.

The domestic air tender program provides time-definite, airport-to-airport service and/or door-to-door service pickup and delivery service for shipments 151 pounds and over, less than planeload within the CONUS. Services are typically for 500 miles or more.

The CAT A program is a limited-use contract for international and domestic services limited to the

movement of regular and recurring specialized handling of cargo, such as hazardous, refrigerated/cold chain (perishables), life and death, narcotics, and medical supplies with a shelf life. DoD agencies/organizations with valid, unique requirements and not currently an authorized ordering officer may contact the Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) to become authorized users.

Logistics Tales

Mr. Mike Crupe, TCJ4-LT

I heard a Father’s Day sermon as boy that started with “Fathers are like the furnace, no one pays them any attention until they stop working.” Logistics sometimes doesn’t get the respect or attention it deserves either, until it doesn’t work right. Military logistics failures are sometimes depicted on television programs or movies. Here are some of my favorite logistics failures we can learn timely lessons in process and management controls.

In the mid-seventies TV series M*A*S*H, a comedy-drama about life at an Army mobile medical hospital during the Korean War, Captain “Hawkeye” Pierce needs an incubator to avoid sending lab tests to Tokyo and awaiting for 3 days for results. He looks into requisitioning an incubator, but the supply officer tells him they can't have one. According to the Basic Equipment List for M*A*S*H units, they “can” have a pizza oven which he can’t use. Another supply officer has three incubators sitting unused, but won't let Hawkeye have one of them. If he issues Hawkeye one, then he’ll only have two and "two is not as good as three." Hawkeye takes his frustration to the General at a press conference which gets him in trouble. When he gets back to the camp to get chewed out by the commander, he finds out Radar, the company clerk, traded the commander’s new BBQ for an incubator. Problem solved. There are other examples of logistics failures and lessons in the movies. In A Bridge Too Far about WWII’s Operation Market Garden, an attempt is made to airdrop supplies to surrounded British paratroops. The only container that lands near the British forces is full of useless berets. In Catch-22 about a B-25 bomber unit in WWII, the officers sell some of the unit equipment on the black market to make money. During a bombing run, a crewmember is wounded and dies when another crewmember finds a note in the first aid kit telling him the first aid kit contents were sold “for the corporation.” In the movie Battle of the Bulge, a German commander shows his senior officers a captured freshly baked American cake. His point was the American Army had the transport and fuel to ship a cake to the front lines and they did not. Later in the movie, American soldiers destroy a U.S. fuel depot, preventing its capture and ending the battle when the foraging German tanks run out of fuel. In the movie Schindler’s List, Oscar Schindler directs his Jewish slave labor to purposely sabotage German WWII artillery shell manufacturing specifications causing the shells to misfire in battle. Finally, my favorite epic logistics failure is depicted in the movie Zulu Dawn, set in 1879 southern Africa. British forces defending a

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camp perimeter run out of ammunition due to the Quartermaster's incompetent distribution. The Quartermasters in the middle of the camp refuse to issue ammo to line soldiers without an officer’s approval. The Zulu warriors charge the British troops en masse breaking the British lines and overrunning the camp.

Integrated Data Environment (IDE) and Global Transportation Network (GTN) Convergence (IGC)

Ms. Sherri Dixon, IGC Team Lead

The IGC Program provides a fusion of supply chain, distribution, and logistics information through common integrated data and services to enable development of cohesive solutions for users across the Department of Defense (DoD). IGC is the DoD system of record for ITV and Asset Visibility (AV). The enabling ITV capabilities provide IGC customers the ability to track the identity, status, and locations of DoD unit and non-unit cargo and passengers by leveraging data provided by the services, commercial carriers, DLA, USTRANSCOM, and USTRANSCOM's component commands. IGC integrates that data and makes it available to the user for up to five years. The enabling AV capabilities provide global asset visibility in all classes of supply whether they are In-Process, In-Storage, or In-Transit. By utilizing IGC, USTRANSCOM optimizes the effectiveness and efficiency of the DoD logistics pipeline in support of the users, the Warfighter, Military Services, Combatant Commands (COCOM), and Joint Task Forces (JTF). Seven significant improvements were implemented in IGC during the last year, Channel Reference Data, Air Process Migration, AV/GCSS-MC Upgrade, Front Page Framework, Storage Architecture, Navy One-Touch Web Service redesign, and the IGC account request upgrade. Each of them are summarized below.

Channel Reference Data – Implemented changes necessary to load AIRLIFT-CHANNEL-TYPE, AIRLIFT-CHANNEL-STATUS, and AIRLIFT-CHANNEL-TYPE-CATEGORY reference data from TRDM and provide ad-hoc query capability on the three new reference tables.

Air Process Migration - Integrated the data requirements from the J4-L Sandbox Air Process tables into the IGC Physical Data Model and create automated processes to populate. This task eliminated a manual process previously performed by the J4-L.

AV/GCSS-MC Upgrade - Updated the GCSS-MC interface to receive the new web service interface from the Defense Transportation System (DTS)

Front Page Framework – Updated the current unsupported web framework to improve user navigation and simplify access and flow throughout the IGC pages.

Storage Architecture – Background -The IGC Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) storage has continued to expand since FOC in 2012. IGC processes almost 3 billion transactions of new data from source systems every month. Many of the data tables within the EDW have hundreds of millions of rows. The operational community has been reluctant to remove data because no other DoD transportation system provides the wealth of data to support data analytics and trend analysis as IGC. Metrics show that 90% of IGC data queries are focused on near-term transportation movement events and not events that occurred years ago. This solution segregated the storage of data into a near-term (i.e., current data) EDW Operational Data Store (ODS) and a longer-term (i.e., historical data) EDW Archive Data Store (ADS). The amount of data that resides in the EDW ODS will be configurable and will initially be set to one year of data.

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Navy One Touch (OTS) web service redesign - Navy OTS consumes a legacy web service brought over as part of the Asset Visibility Migration task order. This web service has three different web operations: one for Business System Modernization (BSM) data, one for Fuel data, and one for Medical data. This task combines the three web service operations into one operation that returns the three result sets.

Account request upgrade - The previous IGC account request form was hosted in SMS. This task moved the IGC account request form back into IGC. Now that the IGC account request form is hosted in IGC user information can automatically get stored, reducing the Service Desk workload and human error.

IGC Training - The IGC Mobile Training Instructor continues to provide Initial, Refresher and Advanced training as well as support at on-site and remote IGC training sessions. If you would like to host a live class at your location and have a Mobile Training Team (MTT) member come to your unit or location, at no cost, to conduct training for your base/unit/organization/section, email the IGC BI COE at our group mailbox at transcom.scott.tcj3.mbx.i-bi-coe@mail.mil or call DSN: 770-6166 or Commercial: 618-220-6166. In addition to the MTT training, there are numerous PowerPoint Training modules available under the IGC “Training Tab” that shows you how to use each function within the system. The “Getting Started in IGC” module is a must for first-time IGC users. Also, if you are ever in the Scott AFB IL area, monthly classes are held in building 1961. We can also accommodate a small group for training in one of the conference rooms in the USTRANSCOM J3-Global Operations Center (GOC).

Future Addition To the System, IGC Alerts - The IGC user community has requested the ability to establish alerts on key transportation movement items as they move through the DoD transportation pipeline. The Alerts would be set on data already resident in the IGC Enterprise Data Warehouse. The Alert Generator will reside within the IGC Front Page Framework. The alert notifications will be displayed to the user within their IGC session. The user will have the ability to view and self-manage alerts they establish.

The Alert Notification capability will allow the user to create an alert on: TCN/Pallet ID, Passenger Name, Air Mission Number, IRCS/Ship Name and Requisition ID. For each alert the user will be able to specify the alert trigger of either Arrive or Depart. The user can further limit the trigger by specifying values for: Consignor, POE, POD Consignee, etc. (TBD). The specifics of the alert input/output screens and available triggers will be determined through working with the functional community.

As always, if you would like to give input on a current capability or provide recommendations and suggestions on new capabilities, please submit your requirement to the IGC BI COE mailbox at transcom.scott.tcj3.mbx.i-bi-coe@mail.mil. We’re always open to new ideas and ways to improve the customer interface.

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Previous Editions

Previous editions are filed at USTRANSCOM’s Distribute.mil site at:

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20Newslett/Forms/AllItems.aspx

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USTRANSCOM Logist ics Opt imizer Newslet ter , Vo l 6, Iss 2, 30 June 2018 Page 9

Disclaimer: All data and information provided within this Newsletter is for informational purposes only. In addition, any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the U.S. Government.

Q u e s t i o n s ?

Send us your questions and comments to

transcom.scott.tcj5j4.mbx.lt-ccmd-outreach@mail.mil

We’ll do our best to answer each one

individually.

We’ll publish those that are of general

interest in the next edition of the Logis-

tics Optimizer Newsletter.

N e x t E d i t i o n We’ll publish the next edition September 30, 2018. We welcome any articles on logistics submitted by or through a government representative. We also welcome your suggestions for future articles. What are you curious about? What would you like to read about? Send articles and suggestions to:

transcom.scott.tcj5j4.mbx.lt-ccmd-outreach@mail.mil. The deadline for article submission is September 1.