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LOG NEWS |
The Army plans to start converting to Milestone 3 of the Single Stock Fund (SSF) this summer at Fort Hood, Texas. The conversion will begin with a verification of initial operating capability (VIOC) involving the 1st Cavalry Division, the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), the 13th Corps Support Command, the Fort Hood Directorate of Logistics, and selected Reserve component units.
Under Milestone 3, the division authorized stockage list (ASL) inventories will be converted from operations and maintenance (O&M) funding to the Army Working Capital Fund-Supply Management Army (AWCF-SMA) account. Direct support and reparable exchange items initially will remain O&M-funded but will be converted to the AWCF-SMA at some future point. Prescribed load list (PLL) inventories and shop stocks will remain O&M-funded.
Milestones 1 and 2 were implemented in April 2001. Milestone 1 consolidated wholesale, theater, corps, and installation AWCF-SMA inventories into a single fund. Milestone 2 extended AWCF-SMA downward to incorporate O&M redistributable stocks above the division ASL level.
Contingent on successful execution of VIOC events, a decision by the Army leadership on extending Milestone 3 to the rest of the Army is expected in October.
A major reorganization of Department of the Army (DA) Headquarters announced by Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White in December will extend the Army Transformation to the highest levels of the service. According to Secretary White, the reorganization will "centralize and clean up the lines of authority where there have been too many cooks in the stew."
The biggest change will align Army Staff directorates with the Army Secretariat. The Secretary observed, "No successful corporate headquarters in the world today is organized the way we are . . . We currently have two separate staffs, often performing some of the same or similar functions." To streamline DA Headquarters and improve the decision-making process, the head of each directorate will become the military deputy to the corresponding assistant secretary of the Army. The Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, for example, will align with the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. The staff heads also will be renamed G1 through G8; the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics will become the G4. These changes will allow the Secretariat and the Army Staff to function as a unified staff while maintaining their separate identities as required by law. The realignment also will reduce staffing levels, which will permit the transfer of military personnel spaces to the field.
The reorganization also will centralize responsibility for installation management under the Army Staff. Garrison commanders will report to one of eight regional directors, who in turn will report to the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management. This change will eliminate major Army commands from installation management and allow them to concentrate on their primary missions.
The realignment will be implemented this summer. A review of Army organizations below the headquarters level should be completed this spring.
Researchers at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland are developing a powder with enzymes designed to neutralize nerve agents and biological threats such as anthrax.
Adding water to the powder creates a formula that can be used to decontaminate vehicles and other surfaces following a biological or chemical attack, says Dr. Joseph DeFrank, a biological researcher who has been working on the solution for 17 years. DeFrank and the Army have patented one of his enzymes—organo phosphorous acid anhydrolase—designed to neutralize G-type nerve agents such as sarin.
The Edgewood team is experimenting with other enzymes that DeFrank said he would like to add to the powder formulation he calls the "Edgewood Enzymatic Decon System." One of the enzymes would neutralize the VX-type nerve agent. Another would counteract sulfur mustard, an oily chemical known as "mustard gas" during World War I. Other enzymes could neutralize biological agents such as anthrax, the plague, and tularemia.
Edgewood is now exploring licensing agreements with foam manufacturers and research and development firms to make the technology available for commercial use. DeFrank said a powder formulation that can neutralize some agents should be ready for commercial production in less than a year.
The Edgewood team already has produced a limited quantity of the organo phosphorous acid anhydrolase enzyme in the laboratory. DeFrank said the Edgewood process engineering facility has a fermentation capacity for up to 1,000 liters, which can generate 1 pound of enzyme, or enough to make about 1,300 gallons of decontaminant.
In December, the Army Operations Support Command, a major subordinate command of the Army Materiel Command, awarded the Army Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) III contract to Halliburton Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) Government Operations division. Halliburton KBR formerly was known as Brown & Root Services.
The Army established LOGCAP to fulfill the Department of Defense's global mission during contingency events. It uses a civilian contractor to provide support and augment the logistics requirements of deployed U.S. forces rapidly.
Brown & Root Services was the original LOGCAP contractor and supported contingency events from 1992 to 1997 in locations ranging from Somalia to Haiti to the Balkans. When the mission of U.S. forces in the Balkans progressed into a sustainment phase in 1997, U.S. Army Europe maintained continuity of services by awarding Brown & Root the Balkans support contract (LOGCAP II).
LOGCAP III is a 10-year task-order contract with a 1-year base period and nine 1-year options. The contract requires Halliburton KBR to deploy within 72 hours of notification and to deliver combat support and combat service support for 25,000 troops within 15 days. Halliburton KBR must be ready to furnish these services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year under any condition and at any location around the globe. By working with the Army planners, Halliburton KBR will provide for the construction of base camps and their infrastructures, including billeting and dining facilities; food preparation, potable water, and sanitation systems; showers; laundries; transportation; utilities; warehouses; and other logistics support. Also included is support of the reception, staging, onward movement, and integration process for U.S. forces as they enter or depart theaters of operations by sea, air, or rail.
Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems, LP (TVS), and O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt Armoring Company (OHE), a subsidiary of Armor Holdings, Inc., will develop an armored cab for the Army's family of medium tactical vehicles (FMTV). The companies are working together to develop the enhanced armoring and blast specifications for the FMTV; TVS will be the prime contractor for the effort.
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Although numerous rounds of 7.62-millimeter M80 ammunition were shot at this door, none entered the FMTV cab. |
An earlier effort by the two companies produced an armored FMTV door capable of deflecting 7.62-millimeter M80 rounds. In a test conducted by the University of Dayton Research Institute's ballistics laboratory, numerous rounds were fired at an FMTV cab door. Neither the door nor its glass was penetrated. Now TVS and OHE will expand FMTV armoring capabilities further to include ballistic and mine protection. The armored FMTV cab will meet the interim brigade combat team requirement of protecting the force while still being transportable on C-130 aircraft and helicopters.
Up-armored M1114 high-mobility, multipurpose, wheeled vehicles with OHE technology have been effective in protecting and saving lives of U.S. soldiers in Bosnia and Kosovo. The expanding applications of the FMTV convinced Stewart & Stevenson that a crew-protected FMTV cab likewise would prove essential to saving soldiers' lives while they execute their missions.
Responsibility for management and oversight of the Army's Chemical Weapons Disposal Program has been consolidated under the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment. Previously, responsibility for the program was divided between the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, who exercised overall management of the program, and the Assistant Secretary for Installations and Environment, who provided policy and oversight for environmental, safety, occupational health, and chemical stockpile emergency preparedness matters.
Direct management of the program will remain under the Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization, headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The program manager is responsible for disposing of the entire U.S. stockpile of chemical agents and munitions. So far, chemical disposal facilities at Johnston Atoll and Tooele, Utah, have destroyed 24 percent of the stockpile. Disposal facilities at Anniston, Alabama, and Umatilla, Oregon, have been completed and are undergoing final checks; facilities at Edgewood, Maryland; Newport, Indiana; and Pine Bluff, Arkansas, are under construction.
In October, the Army awarded a $5.8 million contract to Savi Technology, Inc., for a system that will identify and locate over 250,000 repair parts and 3,000 pieces of ground support equipment that are used in rebuilding and overhauling Army aircraft at Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), Texas. The system is built around the Savi SmartChain™ platform and Savi asset management application software that integrates web-based software applications and wireless tracking and data-collection technologies.
The Savi asset management solution provides complete location visibility in real time for all mechanical parts and subassemblies being repaired in the CCAD aviation maintenance facility. With automated tracking and maintenance, it will be possible to reduce operating costs and repair cycle times, improve record keeping, and improve overall service quality.
The multiyear contract was awarded through the Army Logistics Integration Agency, which worked with Savi Technology, RF Code, Inc., and the information technology and maintenance staffs at CCAD to design and implement the system.
The Savi asset management solution requires no change in CCAD's workflow for equipment maintenance. For example, when a helicopter engine is disassembled for inspection and maintenance, each part is marked with a printed bar code and an associated radio frequency (RF) tracking tag. As the part moves through the various shops, the RF tracking tag periodically emits a signal that is detected by RF readers mounted overhead. System users then can use a web-based interface to access information on all parts in the work process.
After using the Savi solution to locate a particular item, users can key in a request for a worker on the floor to move that item. Workers then can download instructions to handheld computers with mobile RF readers. Using these devices, workers can establish an item's location to within a 10-foot radius and move the item to the desired location.
In December, the Army recognized units that strived for excellence when deploying soldiers and equipment by air, land, or sea with the first presentation of the Chief of Staff of the Army Deployment Excellence Awards. The awards were established to recognize units and installations for outstanding deployment accomplishments that meet or exceed established standards.
The awards were presented to Active Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve units for specific deployments completed during fiscal year 2001. Units receiving awards were—
Active installation: Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Spring.
Active large unit: 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, for deployment to El Centro, California, in support of the Joint Task Force 6 Readiness Exercise.
Active small unit: 235th Signal Company, Fort Gordon, Georgia, for deployment to Haiti in support of Operation Justinien Cause.
Active supporting unit: 266th Transportation Detachment, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas, for deployment to the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California.
Army National Guard large unit: 76th Infantry Brigade, Indianapolis, Indiana, for deployment to the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana, for the brigade's rotation exercise.
Army National Guard small unit: Task Force Alpha, 1st Battalion, 133d Infantry Regiment, Waterloo, Iowa, for deployment to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as a security task force.
Army National Guard supporting unit: State Area Command, Indianapolis, Indiana, for providing full logistics support during a deployment to North Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Army Reserve supporting unit: 1395th Transportation Terminal Brigade, Seattle, Washington, for its support of Operation Puget Thunder at the Port of Tacoma, Washington.
Two special-purpose combat rations developed by the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Program at the Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick) have been merged into a single product called the meal, cold weather/long range patrol (MCW/LRP).
The new item streamlines production and provides greater operational flexibility compared to the ration, cold weather, used by soldiers in frigid climates and the food packet, long-range patrol, consumed by Special Operations Forces (SOF).
Soldiers who work and live in extreme cold need rations that supply extra calories and nutrition. Soldiers who are part of SOF need rations in a lightweight, low-volume package. The same meals are used for both the MCW and the LRP but have these differences: Three MCW food packets totaling 4,520 calories a day meets the caloric requirements for a cold-weather operational ration. The LRP food packet comes in one tan bag and totals 1,540 calories a day to meet the low weight and volume requirements of SOF.
The MCW/LRP expands the variety of combat rations menus to 12. The MCW/LRPs are freeze-dried, which means low weight and low moisture. This practically eliminates the possibility of freezing. The food can be eaten as is, or, if hydration is preferred, soldiers can pour water directly into the brick-shaped pouches holding the food. Other important features of the ration are reduced sodium and protein levels. Studies indicate that lowering sodium and protein intake reduces the body's need for water.
Future changes to the MCW/LRP may include switching to a single pale-green color for easier procurement, standard use of a peel-open seal for the entrée, and replacement of current components with products that have a longer shelf life.
The Defense Logistics Information Service is
offering a booklet that describes the NATO [North
Atlantic Treaty Organization] Codification System (NCS).
The Guide to the NATO Classification System was
developed by the NATO Group of National Directors on
Codification.
The NCS is based on the U.S. military cataloging system and contains data on 16 million stock numbers, 31 million part numbers, and 910,000 manufacturers and vendors. It provides a common language for identifying equipment, parts, and supplies for NATO nations and 27 other nations that have adopted the NCS.
A copy of the guide can be accessed electronically on the Internet at http://www.nato.int/structur/AC/135/ ncs_guide/e_guide.htm. A free printed copy can be obtained by calling (616) 969-3029; sending an e-mail to ledwards@dlis.dla.mil; or writing to Defense Logistics Information Service, ATTN: DLIS-KI (Lauri Edwards), 74 Washington Avenue North, Suite 7, Battle Creek, MI 49017-3804.
The Army has contracted with CyTerra Corporation of Waltham, Massachusetts, to modify and produce its handheld standoff mine detection system to meet Army requirements. The handheld mine detector is designed to allow soldiers to detect all types of antitank and antipersonnel mines quickly and accurately.
The new system will use ground-penetrating radar in conjunction with improved metal detection technology. This will increase mine-detection accuracy by filtering out trash metal such as shrapnel and bullet casings and by detecting mines encased in nonmetal substances such as plastic. In tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, that included nonmetallic mines, the new mine detector was over 96-percent effective, compared to 74- percent effectiveness of the current detector. After using the current mine detector for about 20 minutes, an operator becomes temporarily tone deaf . With the new system, the audio tones used to alert soldiers of landmines are gentler on the ears, allowing the soldier to work up to 30 minutes.
Design modifications to be completed include making the device more durable, more rugged, and about 7 pounds in weight. The handheld detectors should cost about $10,000 each and should be ready for distribution by 2005.
The third annual Force Projection Symposium will be held 7 to 8 May 2002 at the Williamsburg Marriott in Williamsburg, Virginia. The symposium is sponsored by the Project Manager for Force Projection and the Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support in partnership with the National Defense Industrial Association, Michigan Chapter. The theme of this year's symposium will be "Intratheater Transportation and Distribution." The featured exhibit will be the Joint Venture, a 96-meter, high-speed sealift catamaran (HSV-XI). To receive a registration form or to obtain more information, send an email to FPSymposium@mindspring.com or call (586) 445-2041.
The Defense Logistics Agency's partnership with the National Automotive Parts Association, better known as NAPA, has been expanded to include Department of Defense agencies in Europe. Motor pools and Government fleet managers registered for the program can get 20 to 50 percent off the list price of automotive parts and, by using their Government credit cards to buy the parts, can enjoy the added convenience of "cash-and-carry" purchasing. Time and cost savings come from the elimination of repetitive processing of solicitations, quotes, and awards.
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Defense Supply Center, Columbus, Ohio (DSCC), serves as the link between NAPA and the Department of Defense and other Government agencies in Europe. As such, DSSCC provides cross-referencing and identification of parts; expert technical advice; commercial warranties; shipments via APO, air freight, courier, and ocean freight; and a special ordering process.
The specific NAPA dealer processing Europe orders is D&M Auto Parts in Hicksville, New York. Customers can place orders by phone ([516] 822-6662), fax ([516] 822-5020), or e-mail (info@ dmauto.com). Parts also can be ordered on the D&M web site at http://www.dmauto.com.
For information on the continental United States program, see "Auto Parts at a Discount" in the January-February 2000 issue of Army Logistician.
Soldiers in professional development courses soon will be given a CD-ROM-compatible "E-Card" to help them with research projects.
When the card is inserted into a computer's CD-ROM drive, it will show automatically links to military web sites and other distance-learning resources. When the soldier clicks on the name of a web site, the connection is made.
The cards will be given to soldiers attending courses on levels above basic training and advanced individual training. If web site links are added to or deleted from the system, the card will be updated automatically when it is inserted into a computer CD-ROM drive. Soldiers enrolled in the Army University Access Online, or eArmyU, are issued computers with the information on the E-Card already loaded.
Beginning in fiscal year 2003, the aircrews of some Army helicopters will have microclimate cooling systems to help lower body heat generated in their multilayered flight suits. The Microclimate Cooling Subsystem (MCS) is being developed for the Air Warrior program by the Chemical Technology Team at the Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick) and Foster-Miller, Inc., in Waltham, Massachusetts. The Air Warrior MCS is based on previous work conducted at Natick, including the Advanced Lightweight Microclimate Cooling System developed in 1998.
The MCS consists of a small refrigeration unit and a tube-type cooling vest. The vest is lined with small-diameter, flexible tubing and worn by aircrew members under their protective clothing. External supply and return tubing connects the vest to a refrigeration unit, which is mounted on the aircraft. The connector on the vest has a quick-release and hands-free breakaway capability for easy evacuation. The refrigeration unit chills water and pumps it through the supply line and into the vest. Body heat is transferred to the water and flows back through the return line to the unit, where heat is exchanged with the cooled ambient temperature. Rechilled water then is recirculated back into the cooling vest.
Crews of Black Hawk, Chinook, and Kiowa helicopters will receive the new vests to complement the refrigeration units that will be located inside the aircraft. The cooling system will improve safety by reducing the rate at which core body temperature rises. Other benefits to the wearer include increased stamina, reduced sweating, and lower water-replacement needs. Weight is still a factor, however, so engineers will continue efforts to produce an even lighter weight personal cooler.
SOLE—The International Society of Logistics—offers on its web site (http://www.sole.org/ bibliography.asp) an extensive bibliography of literature on logistics and logistics-related areas. Subjects include—
Logistics, logistics engineering, and integrated logistics support.
Systems, systems engineering, and systems analysis.
Concurrent engineering.
Software and computer-aided systems.
Reliability engineering.
Maintainability engineering and maintenance.
Human factors and safety engineering.
Production, manufacturing, quality, quality control, and quality assurance.
Operations research and operations management.
Engineering economy, life-cycle cost analysis, and cost estimation.
Management and supporting areas.
Also included is a list of items selected from the larger list that have been identified and recommended as being key for those preparing for the Certified Professional Logistician (CPL) examination offered through SOLE.
The Army has selected Fort Belvoir, Virginia, as the site of the long-planned National Museum of the United States Army. The Army has 61 museums and museum activities on installations around the world, but it is the only one of the armed services without a national museum. The museum, which is scheduled for completion in June 2009, will cost approximately $90 million and will be funded privately through the Army Historical Foundation.
 
Operation Enduring Freedom has featured uncommon logistics for an uncommon war. U.S. Army Special Operations Forces used pack mules (left) to carry supplies and equipment and traveled by horseback (right) as they worked with members of the Northern Alliance on the rugged terrain of Afghanistan. Special Operations Forces are the only Army units that routinely train to use pack animals in rural and remote areas of the world inaccessible by wheeled or tracked vehicles. The soldiers' missions included providing targeting information for U.S. air strikes. |
A 758th Maintenance Company senior mechanic at the Army Reserve Center in Whitehall, Ohio,
prepares to install a NAPA-supplied filter in a
high-mobility, multipurpose, wheeled vehicle.