Improving Joint Military Logistics for the Future

The challenges of joint military logistics remain a key topic for defense leaders with the continuing drawdown from Iraq and ongoing operations in Afghanistan, requiring highly organized co-ordination between various agencies. A recent series of summer lectures at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, addressed joint military logistics, bringing together past and present air logistics center leaders for discussions on what should be priorities for the military going forward. Unmanned Aircraft Robert Conner, director of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center from 2005 to 2007, said that the Air Force's Unmanned Aircraft System Flight-Plan is the way of the future both for reconnaissance missions and operations involving bombers, tankers, cargo vehicles and fighters. "The unmanned aircraft are really going to be a factor in the future," Conner asserted. "That is out there and it is many years away. Between now and then, we're going to have to maintain what we have until we get the new tanker and the next-generation bomber and fighters," he added. Eco-friendly Vehicles Eco-friendly vehicles will also become a focus for improving joint military logistics in the future, as forces will need equipment that is more efficient and cheaper to run if they are to be successful in operations. Speaking at the Society of Automotive Engineers, Paul Skalny, director of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's (TARDEC's) National Automotive Center, said that operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have vastly increased the amount of fuel used by the U.S. Army. An average 50 million gallons of gasoline were used every year before the Middle Eastern engagements, but since 2003, about half a billion gallons of fuel have been consumed by Army vehicles every year. As soldiers are facing increasing threats on the ground, armor developments are being added to vehicles, which negatively impact their performance, particularly when it comes to fuel efficiency, proving a challenge to those trying to improve joint military logistics. "In many cases, 70 percent of the bulk tonnage we take to war is fuel. So anything that we can do to increase the fuel efficiency of our platforms is critical," Skalny said. Advanced Communications Technology In the UK, the ministry of defence (MoD) is working on improving communications systems in order to enhance joint military logistics. The MoD recently awarded two contracts worth a total of £231 million to General Dynamics UK for the upgrading of the Bowman technology, which includes improving the interoperability with other UK and allied systems and developing synergies with Bowman Combat Infrastructure Platform support solution. Quentin Davies, minister for defence equipment and support, said: "Bowman has been used successfully in Iraq and Afghanistan, where secure, faster communications and data exchange is saving lives on the frontline." "It is a key element of a comprehensive suite of communications systems to provide a robust network that allows commanders to exercise command and control effectively," he added. The technology is currently installed in over 13,000 British army vehicles, as well as in headquarters, ships and helicopters, supporting joint military logistics. Similarly, the US military has also been working on developing communications technology as part of improving joint military logistics. Joint Forces Command officials recently called on naval personnel to evaluate how well the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Image Product Library works with the Global Command and Control System. The equipment, designed at the command's Joint Systems Integration Center, combines command and control capabilities, exchanging imagery, intelligence, status-of-forces and planning information in one interoperable system aimed at enhancing joint military logistics efforts. Air Force Captain Dan Shinohara, leader of the project, said getting sailors to test the equipment will help developers "to identify whether or not something is not so intuitive and see if people who are creating the system will have to take it back to the drawing board." In addition, TARDEC recently hosted a 'robotics rodeo' along with 3rd Corps, which gave soldiers to opportunity to rate the latest autonomous computerised technology, which was developed to help in areas where there is limited communication. Enhanced Navigation in Joint Military Logistics Davies also recently announced the introduction of a suite of new equipment that will improve navigation, command and control and battle preparation as part of the MoD's attempts to enhance joint military logistics. The Surveillance and Target Acquisition package, which is being implemented as part of the Future Integrated Solider Technology programme, will enhance night surveillance and target acquisition, using new thermal sights to facilitate observation in all weather and light levels. Davies said: "The new kit that we have ordered will significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the British infantryman. "The MoD is committed to equipping our front line troops with the best equipment we can by using the latest technological advances," he added.

Improving Joint Military Logistics for the Future

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