To See, Hear, Disrupt, Deny, Communicate, Out Think, and Survive our Enemies

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IDGA’s @DefenseInsider investigates how the Logistics & Readiness Center (LRC) prepares the warfighter for deployment. Featuring Charles (Mike) Carter, Associate Director Operations (AMSEL-LC), LRC, the following interview also questions the Army’s reliance on Military Satellite, and examines the aims of the Electronic Sustainment Support Centers (ESSCs).

How does CECOM LCMC LRC support the WARFIGHTER in a timely, cost effective manner?

The C4ISR systems allow our WARFIGHTERS to SEE, HEAR, DISRUPT, DENY, COMMUNICATE, OUT THINK and SURVIVE our enemies.

 The CECOM LCMC LRC mission is to provide global C4ISR logistics support to the WARFIGHTER, and coalition forces, in a timely, cost effective manner. We prepare and sustain units for the Train/ Ready/ Available pools and RESET our forces to combat readiness to complete the ARFORGEN cycle. This mission is accomplished through rapid acquisition, depot maintenance, new production, new equipment fielding/training, and field support sustainment of CECOM LCMC equipment.

The LRC Core Capabilities support this mission – National Inventory Control point – National Maintenance Point - Rapid Response Acquisition (R2) - Life Cycle and Logistics Support Planning - Production Engineering - Industrial Base Management- Training, Repair and Tech Assist Forward - Performance Based Logistics - Security Assistance Program Management and COMSEC Logistics.

We are postured within the capabilities to provide multiple services to include Acquisition/Repair; Program Management; Product Quality Management; Configuration Management; Tech Data; Inventory Management; Integrated Logistics Support; Readiness Analysis; Tech Assistance; Tech manuals; Foreign Military Sales, and COMSEC.  Our global presence enables us to support a variety of customers to include PMs, PEOs, ASC, LCMCs, the four branches of the Military, Coast Guard, other agencies and foreign governments.

The LRC has Weapon System Directorates focused on supporting our PEO/PM partners. The mission of each Directorate is to ensure complete acquisition and logistics support for the WARFIGHTER in the field for assigned Level I, II, or III equipment/systems to include their peculiar/unique spare/repair parts during the entire life cycle of the equipment. This life cycle support includes maintenance engineering, maintainability and production engineering, Integrated Logistics Support (ILS), provisioning, integrated material management, worldwide distribution of material, RESET, production planning and acceptance, manufacturing base support, configuration management, Acquisition Requirements Package (ARP) development and product quality management.

The scale of our support in FY11 in dollar values: $555.6M required in AWCF Spares Repair & Acquisition to support over 45,000 NSNs, $123.2M required to procure 6054 Major Items, $806.04M OMA Depot Maintenance used resetting the Force for Major Items, $358.3M was spent for Foreign Military Sales and our Rapid Response (R2) office produced 190 contract actions, obligating $43.4 M.

We currently employ over 5000 personnel, deployed worldwide to support our Warfighters.

Explore the ways in which you reset and prepare the WARFIGHTER for combat following deployment?

The Reset Division of the Logistics and Engineering and Operations Directorate provided through a systematic, methodical  and a sustained synchronization effort support to 27 BCTs, 1953 separate units and over 61090 pieces of equipment with less than 1% not meeting the units Required Delivery Dates this FY. The Reset Team’s efforts solidified processes and provided the single interface with our primary partners including two LCMCs: AMCOM and TACOM, and six PEO/PM communities.  The RESET processes are driven by three teams; Integration, Reset Field Level, and Communications Electronics Evaluation Repair (CEER-T).

With initiative, innovative thinking and proactive leadership, the Integration Team has been able to install communications kits in support of the C4ISR communications packages for over 46 units per fiscal year since program inception in 2008. Installs have been accomplished in a timely manner and to the satisfaction of Active Army, ARNG, and Army Reserve units. The team’s execution of vast amount of missions has created a team of universal subject matter experts in the Integration of the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet and M113 series vehicles.  The team accepted the additional challenge of managing the Mine Resistance Ambush Protective (MRAP) Vehicles for Army Components as well. The team is well respected across Army channels as the “go to” team for issues relating to C4ISR communication installation equipment.  The Integration Team, since 2008, has reset approximately thirty-five thousand (35,000) US Army vehicles throughout the world; to include Army Prepositioned Stock.  During this period it has introduced many initiatives in their efforts to support our Warfighters and to save the US Army money.  Such as Operation Clean Up; where we collected the unit/s excess equipment, tested and condition coded it, then returned the equipment (over $5M) to stock for reuse in the Integration process.  We coordinated with the Property Accountability Recovery Teams (PART) program providing Integration parts NIINs which they cross-reference and ship these parts to our stocks which in turn are used to support the units.  Developed a mission Matrix that consolidates the entire mission (planning to completion) and added “Data Product” of unit’s communications authorization which automatically populates the parts requirements.  This has streamlined our mission planning and parts ordering process providing cost savings and efficiencies throughout the program.

The Reset Field Level Team managed the budget and monitored the induction and production of over 30K C4ISR items work-loaded to CECOM-LCMC field reset maintenance facilities.  This also included managing a field reset budget totaling $10.7 Million. The teams ability to drilldown and provide proper accountability, highlighted strategic and systemic procedural data that required new processes.  As a result of these new processes Reset Division has successfully transitioned key systems in support of the FORSCOM Back to Basics initiative.  This initiative will allow solders to perform Unit Level Maintenance on identified systems; providing a cost savings while supporting the soldiers in sharpening maintenance skills as the drawdown continues.

The CEER-T is one of three Special Repair Teams (SRTs), created in October of 2007 in support of the Army Forces Generation (ARFORGEN) process. The CEER-T is based out of the Communication Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (CE-LCMC) and travels CONUS and OCONUS to the Home Stations of returning Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) to repair their Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS) and Night Vision Devices (NVDs). The CEER-T currently RESETs all eligible Active Army equipment, and is available upon request to RESET equipment for returning Army National Guard Units.  To date, CEER-T has successfully completed over 250K NVDs and 200K SINCGARS LRUs.

What can you tell me about the army's increasing reliance on military satellites over commercial satellites? What's prompted the move?

I believe this was well covered in an interview with PEO C3T and more specifically with PM WINT, it would be an injustice not to quote them, what I do want to stress is that in our domain alignment, our C3T (COMMS) Directorate is aligned with the PEO.  So any support they may require in making this initiative a success we stand by to provide the full power of the LRC. Having said that, below is the gist of what PM WINT provided as detail to this question.

“With more expansive satellite communications requirements, the Army is moving away from expensive commercial satellites and leveraging those of the U.S. military.

"The advantage is two-fold -- there is a big cost avoidance in utilizing military satellites, second the military requires us to be more efficient with the resources," said Lt. Col. Gregory Coile, product manager for Satellite Communications, or PdM SATCOM, assigned to the Army's Project Manager Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, which is known as PM WIN-T.

PM WIN-T is part of the Army's Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical, or PEO C3T.

Through its increased use of U.S. military satellites, the Army could potentially save millions. U.S. Army Central Command  or CENTCOM, alone is spending millions of dollars a year on commercial satellite use.

Without enough bandwidth to entirely avoid the use of commercial Ku band satellite frequencies, the Army plans to utilize military satellites whenever feasible, said Lynn Epperson, acting deputy for PdM SATCOM. To further this mission, PM WIN-T is certifying its earth satellite terminals with military Ka and X-band frequency capability to take advantage of the military's Wideband Global SATCOM, or WGS, satellites.

There are two significant systems involved in this effort - SNAPs and DKETs; they were designed to have maximum interoperability within the Army and with Joint Forces and tie into the greater WIN-T network. SNAPs can link into Regional Hub Nodes, Unit Hub Nodes, and into DKETs, which provide much larger bandwidth capabilities and volume distribution.”

The LRC primarily supports the ground terminal end of the MILSATCOM system in coordination with the PEO.  We very successful at providing that support and will continue to deliver for the PEO and the WARFIGHTERS.

Tell us about the aims of the Electronic Sustainment Support Centers (ESSCs), how will this deliver leaner logistics structure?

Formed in 1996 the ESSC mission is to provide a 1-stop shop for Soldiers seeking maintenance support for their command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) weapons systems, the mission  has grown exponentially in response to support requirements for Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. The CECOM LCMC Logistics and Readiness Center Readiness Directorate (LRC/DRE) Field Sustainment Support Division (FSSD) directs operations by the ESSCs and the C4ISR Regional Support Centers (RSCs), the CECOM LCMC’s primary means for delivering C4ISR systems’ sustainment support to Warfighters worldwide. The ESSCs and their service providers work in partnership with the CECOM LCMC Logistics Assistance Representatives (LARs), who are focused on direct support to the C4ISR weapon systems’ Warfighter operators. Together, the LARs and the ESSC are the CECOM LCMC’s “face to the field” for designated C4ISR weapon systems sustainment maintenance and logistics support.  

Reshaping the ESSC capabilities: Through a revised contract performance work statement (PWS), the C4ISR ESSC service provider will provide enhanced Field Service Representatives with a greater technical knowledge; providing a greater depth and breathe of services provided to Program/Product Managers to leverage. These actions will provide a capability that reduces multiple layers of contractual management, administrative, financial and logistical personnel normally associated with the award of individual task orders by the Pm/PdMs.        

Forecasted defense spending reductions of programs will impact sustainment and training of non-standard equipment (NS-E) or quick reaction capability (QRC) systems the PM/PdM's acquire through their acquisition process. Defining the new technological requirements, the ESSC work force works with the original equipment manufacture's (OEM) to obtain repair training to support the system and expanding their technical capabilities.

Exercising the option to use the ESSC FSRs, PM/PdM's can focus limited resources for sustainment and training funding into the highly technical FSR work force without replication or redundancy associated in different sustainment task orders across the C4ISR community.

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Contributor:   IDGA Editorial Staff

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