Mlf 9 7 final

Air Force issue The Publication of Record for the Military Logistics Community

Special Supplement

Air Mobility Command

Mobility Provider Gen. Darren W. McDew Commander U.S. Air Mobility Command

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September 2015 Volume 9, Issue 7

Exclusive Interviews with:

Lt. Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II Commander U.S. 18th Air Force

Brig. Gen. Brian S. Robinson 618th Air Operations Center

Aerial Refueling Systems Advisory Group International O Affordable Parts Educating the Logistician O Unmanned Supply

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MILITARY LOGISTICS FORUM Features

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U.S. Air Mobility Command Special Supplement

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September 2015 Volume 9, Issue 7

SPECIAL SECTION

16

Exclusive interviews with:

Lieutenant General Carlton D. Everhart II Commander U.S. 18th Air Force

3

Training Logisticians

While tools and IT are important, smart logistics starts with thoroughly trained logisticians. Education in logistics and supply chains is expanding, both generally and for military specialists.

By Henry Canaday

Departments

ARSAG International The Aerial Refueling Systems Advisory Group International brings together the global tanker community. ARSAG has evolved from a Strategic Air Command entity to the realities of today’s military and industry work environments. Streamlined meetings are supplemented by newsletters, bulletins and the ARSAG International website as means of exchanging aerial refueling information.

By John B. Sams Jr., Lieutenant General, USAF, Ret.

Brigadier General Brian S. Robinson Commander 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center)

6

12 General Darren W. McDew Commander U.S. Air Mobility Command

8

Keeping Parts Affordable

Robotic Supply

Acquisition of the right parts at the right places, times and prices is still one of the toughest challenges in military aviation support. Excess stocks carry excessive costs, while inadequate inventories can cause expensive emergency purchases, costly delays in repairs, or worse, damage readiness.

By Henry Canaday

While online retailer Amazon is still waiting for federal approval to begin home delivery of books by unmanned aircraft, Marines have been doing it for years with much bigger packages.

By John M. Doyle

Industry Interview

2 Editor’s Perspective 10 Supply Chain 19 Resource Center

Paul Rohen Vice President Leidos

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“…we must continue to develop and leverage the potential benefits of increased automation.

That applies not only to the employment of our current fleet, but also in the development of our future mobility aircraft.”

—General Darren W. McDew

Military Logistics Forum Volume 9, Issue 7 • September 2015

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EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE Even the brightest optimist has probably accepted that the U.S military—a mirror of the country as a whole—will be using fossil fuels of one kind or another for another several generations. The tipping point as to whether actual cost savings can result from creating and using alternative energy sources is hotly contested, and depending on whose math you believe—well, it’s confusing at best.

Just consider the questions you have in deciding to put solar panels on your own roof at home, whether you should buy the panels or lease them, how long it will take to recover the initial investment regardless of Jeff McKaughan which option you choose, how much it will cost over the life of the system, Editor etc. While there are economies of scale in larger projects, they also come with larger price tags and, by default, more risk.

The DoD, and its services have been somewhat quietly riding the bow wave in front of the alternative solution by investing in the development of the technology and by acquiring the end product.

In late August, the Navy took another leap by spearheading the largest purchase of renewable energy ever made by the federal government. In an agreement with Western Area Power Administration (Western) and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, the project will fund the construction of a 210 megawatt solar plant that will ultimately generate about one-third of the energy required to power 14 Navy and Marine Corps installations in California.

In May of 2014, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus stood up the Navy’s Renewable Energy Program Office. A foundational goal of the office is to be able to produce 50 percent of its energy from alternative sources by 2020. A more short-term goal was to be able to produce—or procure—one gigawatt of power from alternative sources by the end of December 2015.

The other services are part of the department-wide effort as well. For example, the Army plans to “deploy” one gigawatt of renewable energy by 2025, and established its own Office of Energy Initiatives as an enduring and permanent organization in 2014 (originally formed in 2011). One of its recent projects plans to produce about 76 megawatts (direct current) of energy from a combined solar and wind plant.

In relatively small enclaves, solar, wind and geothermal energy sources are integrated into the power grid and infrastructure. In most areas, more work is needed—both at a physical and technology level, but also at a more basic acceptance level. With DoD and its services leading the way and grounding many of the larger projects with funding and support, alternative energy programs see some of the resistance and financial challenges they have faced in the past lessening. While not a yellow brick road for energy alternatives, it will be a road more traveled.

While tools and IT are important, smart logistics starts with thoroughly trained logisticians.

By Henry Canaday, MLF Correspondent As supply chains extend across the world, older platforms are kept in service longer and life cycle costs grow ever larger in tight defense budgets, lean logistics becomes critical to keeping adequate forces in the field. And while tools and IT are important, smart logistics starts with thoroughly trained logisticians.

Fortunately, education in logistics and supply chains is expanding, both generally and for military specialists. Programs are available both for initial logistics training and for the continuing education that keeps practitioners up to speed in a rapidly changing field.

These courses can be given in classroom or online. They encompass the basics: warehousing, transportation, distribution, planning and so forth. But increasingly, courses also address IT systems and the latest forecasting techniques. And military logistics must also pay close attention to the contract negotiations that secure private collaboration and the regulations under which defense planners must operate.

Bill Kobren, director of the Logistics and Sustainment Center of the Learning Capabilities Integration Center, said the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) is uniquely positioned to provide DoD logisticians with training and support. “Our faculty members are experienced practitioners across the system life cycle, having extensive military, civilian and industry acquisition, sustainment and operational experience.” DAU’s curriculum was developed in consultation with policymakers at the Pentagon, and DAU works closely with all military services, defense agencies and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Kobren emphasized that DAU trains life cycle logisticians, not those who specialize in supply, maintenance or transportation duties. The university trains almost 19,000 of these logisticians of the defense acquisition workforce, as well as logisticians in other functional communities. In fiscal year 2014, DAU reported 182,000 course completions, including online and resident courses. Military students accounted for 13 percent, 81 percent were civilian defense and 6 percent were from industry. In addition, 673,000 continuous learning modules were completed online.

Kobren explained that life cycle logistics means planning, developing, implementing and overseeing comprehensive, affordable and www.MLF-kmi.com

effective support strategies. These life cycle logisticians ensure systems are designed, maintained and modified to reduce operating and sustainment costs and minimize necessary logistics support.

DAU uses the Defense Department’s field competency requirements and integrates training in an acquisition learning model with three elements. Foundational learning is done in classrooms and

by Web-based distance learning. Workflow learning uses Web-based knowledge sharing tools such as communities of practice, ACQuipedia and performance support. Performance learning involves direct engagement through mission assistance, team training, individual qualification and mission workshops.

DAU has 13 training courses—five in the classroom and eight conducted by distance learning. These include Earned Value and Acquisition Management, Facilities Engineering, Auditing and Business, Cost Estimating, Financial Management and several courses in Contract Management. One of the classroom courses is post-Level III LOG 365 executive training for defense product support managers.

There are two major Web-based communities of practice, including a performance-based logistics community. Thirteen DAU courses have received graduate or undergraduate credit from the American Council on Education. Another five will be evaluated later this year.

DAU offers 53 Web-based continuous learning modules, plus 92 ACQuipedia articles. Support tools include more than 420 government and industry tools and data repositories.

In addition to LOG 365, DAU recently introduced a LOG 215 Technical Data Management Web course. It will soon revise LOG 200, Product Support Strategy, LOG 204, Configuration Management and LOG 235, Performance-Based Logistics, all Web courses.

The University of Texas at Dallas introduced professional certificate programs in supply chain management, product lifecycle management and lean six sigma in 2003. Initially the programs were short certificate programs but since 2010 the school has integrated them as a Graduate Certificate in Product Lifecycle and Supply Chain Management and students can continue to complete a MS in Supply Chain Management or MBA. Students also have the option to do the MLF 9.7 | 3

professional certificates. Their Center for Intelligent Supply Networks (C4iSN) helps companies effectively grow and nurture their human capital investment The process of delivering goods and services better, faster and cheaper sounds simple but can sometimes be unpredictable and lead to shortages or surpluses. Over the past two decades, the supply chain journey has evolved through a number of distinct phases along with a shift in power from suppliers to customers. Over the course of this evolution, supply chain professionals have expanded their perspective and philosophy from an inventory-centric view to an order-centric view to a product-centric view today.

“Today’s organization needs people who understand the big picture, know their role in the supply chain, are trained to solve problems, analyze data, be more quantitatively skilled and willing to learn and adopt the latest technologies,” said Divakar Rajamani from the University of Texas at Dallas “We have students from military background participate in our program,” said Rajamani. “However, most of the students in my program, even those from military are all seeking a job in the civilian sector. If there are customer specific learning objectives, we develop and deliver custom modules in the program to suit the student mix in the class.” As an example, Rajamani noted that they will invite guest speakers from Army and Air Force Exchange Service based on topics of interest.

Ultimately, our focus is on people said Rajamani. “Whether it is about getting closer to your customers, creating new products, improving existing processes or implementing technology enablers, people are ultimately at the center of every initiative. Yet, compared to the billions spent on advanced technologies and process reengineering, investment in employee education is significantly lagging. This has to change because business cannot realize its maximum value potential without closing this knowledge gap.”

The American Military University offers accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in both Transportation and Logistics Management (TLM) and Reverse Logistics Management (RLM), explained Associate Vice President Brian Muys.

TLM programs are designed for military transportation logisticians, transportation personnel or related specialists and government or corporate specialists working in the same fields. Stacey Little, TLM program director, said students integrate theory, strategy, economic principles and best practices of TLM and apply these principles to real-world scenarios and activities. Bachelor-degree students can choose from three concentrations: general, reverse logistics and air cargo. Master-degree candidates can choose general, reverse logistics or maritime-engineering management.

Reverse logisticians plan, execute and control efficient return of products from point of consumption to point of origin to recapture value or properly dispose of excess. The university’s RLM programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs, the only RLM program so recognized.

Program Director Robert Lee Gordon said RLM teaches students the theory and practice of reverse logistics management in the military, as well as in civilian businesses. “It offers extensive courses in reverse logistics management to expose military and civilian reverse logisticians to different methodologies.”

Muys would not say how many students take AMU’s logistics courses, but noted that business and management students such as logisticians collectively represent more than 25 percent of the university’s total enrollment of more than 100,000 students worldwide.

4 | MLF 9.7

And economy-wide, this is a very attractive field. Transportation and logistics management is the second largest employment sector in the U.S. Muys’s university places students in a variety of organizations, including the Defense Department, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security Administration and private firms like UPS, Wal-Mart, DHL, Goodyear, Amazon and various airlines.

The Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute offers logistics degree programs and concentrations at the bachelor, masters and doctorate levels in the College of Engineering and College of Business, explained Managing Director Tim Brown. The institute also has non-degree certificate programs and short courses in supply chains and logistics for military personnel.

“We are launching eight new online courses in supply-chain fundamentals, tied to new national supply-chain certifications that the Department of Labor has sponsored,” Brown said. “Military personnel are a primary audience for the new programs, which include warehousing, supply-chain principles, customer service, transportation, inventory and procurement.” Professional education programs are open-enrollment with no admission requirements. Certificate programs do have entry requirements.

Brown stressed his institute’s 70 years of experience in logistics education, which started with warehousing. The school has particular niches in warehouse and distribution center operations and analysis and in lean supply chains. He also stated that “we are the only school that offers the new certification courses as online courses, self-paced, so students can start at any time and complete them over six months.” The institute’s overall logistics program is now the largest in the U.S. Georgia Tech will launch its Supply Chain Project Management Certificate program in autumn 2015.

The institute has about 400 students in its degree programs and 1,300 in its certificate programs. Brown estimates that 10 percent of certificate students are in the military.

The Florida Institute of Technology offers a bachelor’s degree in logistics management and master’s degrees in logistics management and management of humanitarian and disaster relief. Spokesman Andy McIlwraith said all programs are offered at various off-site FIT locations and online.

Core courses for FIT degrees depend on the program of study, and some of the most common are: managerial statistics, systems and logistics support management, logistics policy, inventory control and management, cost and economic analysis, supply-chain management and distribution management. MacIlwraith emphasized these courses are taught by professors with experience in the field, and FIT has a long tradition of educating military professionals in logistics.

Webster University offers several undergraduate and graduate degrees with logistics content. But the Master of Arts in Procurement and Acquisitions Management is by far Webster’s most popular degree program for military logisticians, according to Michael Callan, a retired Air Force brigadier general and now associate vice president for Military and Government Programs. “We also have seen a growing demand growing for our certificates in Government Contracting and Program Management,” he added.

Webster’s graduate program in procurement and acquisitions encourages students to examine the legal framework of acquisition contracts and translate need assessments into operating methodologies. Classes also cover the competitive and financial environment of price proposals using cost and price analysis and investment www.MLF-kmi.com

return. “Procurement-management professionals find value in the program’s focus on physical distribution management, warehouse management and layout, transportation and customer service,” Callan said.

Webster’s graduate certificate in government contracting is designed for contracting practitioners new to government contracting who want to enhance their skills in acquisition management. The school’s management certificate is designed to equip students with theoretical concepts and practical skills.

Callan said Webster understands military students require flexibility. Its Master in Procurement and Acquisitions management and certificate programs are available online. Under a partnership with DAU, Webster provides classes for defense workers in acquisitions, technology and logistics. “Students are offered specialized courses in contracting, acquisitions management, pricing, negotiations and procurement law,” Callan noted. These certificate courses are equivalent to certain DAU courses and meet requirements of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act. Webster is excited about its new Program Management Certificate and continues to work with DAU to evaluate DoD’s demand for logistics, acquisition and program management courses.

North Dakota State University offers a Master of Managerial Logistics degree online for military officers and defense civilians.

The program addresses all 12 elements of the National Logistics Curriculum and is listed in Army Pamphlet 600-3 for Commissioned Officer Professional Development and Career Management.

Denver Tolliver, director of Transportation and Logistics Programs at NDSU, said the program provides knowledge needed for global logistics and supply chains and stresses coordinated actions in complex emergencies. The curriculum is built around supplychain and logistics courses of 17 credit hours, plus courses on logistic technologies and operations. A total of 35 credits must be completed in courses such as logistics, enterprise resource planning, crisis management, supply chain planning, technology and transportation security.

NDSU incorporates the latest research and technologies into its courses. Case studies are updated with new examples from both

private industry and the military. Technology courses incorporate the latest advances in data collection and analysis, communications, RFID, remote sensing and asset tracking. The instructor in enterprise resource management has SAP ERP certification. The course emphasizes business process analysis for alignment with ERP systems and familiarization with organization assessment and change management tools for ERP implementation.

“Graduates tell us they approach problems differently with an enhanced ability to synthesize data for informed decision-making,” Tolliver noted. He stressed that NDSU is a veteran- and militaryfriendly university that offers in-state tuition to veterans, reservists and active-duty military.

The Institute for Defense and Business offers a number of logistics programs for military, government and private managers. Its core program is the Center of Excellence in Logistics and Technology, LOGTECH, at the University of North Carolina. IDB also offers Log21 for early-career logisticians and a Life Cycle Executive Leadership Program to help manage life cycle costs. Its MedLog21 provides supply-chain skills for medical logisticians, and its LogMBA is a twoyear program offered in partnership with two top business schools.

President and retired Army Major General Jim Hodge said the independent IDB can cultivate the most relevant, custom-designed curriculum by selecting the best faculty from schools across the country. According to Hodge, “IDB works to incorporate business acumen into its courses while offering students a joint perspective on current military challenges.”

IDB’s Depot and Arsenal Executive Development Program provides live value-stream analyses on-site for production challenges in industrial operations of defense and private organizations. And IDB has developed extensive relationships with more than 70 corporations, which support IDB with instruction and residencies.

In 2016, IDB will offer a Military Transition Program to ease the transition between military and civilian careers. O For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mlf-kmi.com.

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MLF 9.7 | 5

Better life cycle management through spare parts oversight and cost control.

By Henry Canaday MLF Correspondent

Acquisition of the right parts at the right places, times and prices is still one of the toughest challenges in military aviation support. Excess stocks carry excessive costs, while inadequate inventories can cause expensive emergency purchases, costly delays in repairs, or worse, damage readiness.

Part challenges are especially intense for the military because usage is not set by regular schedules, as in commercial aviation, but by the often unexpected demands of war and other threats. This is true especially for aging aircraft systems in an era when the military seeks small inventories and wants the ability to order from original manufactures or other capable suppliers.

Nevertheless, smart part policies can improve both choices and results. Gains usually start with part demand, which means looking at maintenance activities closely. The private firms that do depot maintenance for the services have the tools and incentives to scrutinize part demand very closely.

For example, StandardAero overhauls the T56 engines that power C-130s. Since 1999, StandardAero has been the Air Force depot for these engines, and since 2003, it has been the Navy depot as well. Randel Harrington, director of materiel for military and components at the San Antonio, Texas, facility, said several key control systems are used to sustain T56s at high levels and ensure engine turnaround times are consistently short.

The first control system is ensuring accurate repair bill of materials, replacement factors and occurrence rates for the spares that support maintenance.

6 | MLF 9.7

“Replacement factors are updated regularly, depending heavily on real-time usage and disposition data generated within the repair process,” Harrington explained.

StandardAero also enhances its supplychain effectiveness by developing close working relationships with its suppliers and understands what factors can make suppliers more effective in supporting maintenance requirements. “The real-time disposition and usage data that create actual demands need to match forecast demands,” Harrington stressed. “This is particularly true when working with the Defense Logistics Agency, which works best with a steady and even demand pattern, supplemented with accurate forecasts to bridge gaps.”

Another key control is constant communication with repair managers and analysis of disposition data to help the supply team understand what the shop really needs, and when they need it. “As this information is validated and verified, it will flow back through the supply chain in a timely manner,” Harrington said.

The fourth key is inventory accuracy and stocking effectiveness. The first three controls are essential and ensure that the right spare parts are in the right place at the right time. “It is impossible, not to mention cost-prohibitive, to have every conceivable part on hand,” Harrington acknowledged.

So mitigation plans must be in place to compensate for stockouts, unexpected back orders or changes in long lead-time deliveries from manufacturers.

These key controls are not necessarily distinctive or new, but StandardAero

consistently and relentlessly enforces them throughout the entire repair process.

Harrington said the biggest challenge in establishing constant material support is fluctuations in maintenance volumes. “It is difficult to support IDIQ [indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity] maintenance repair and overhaul contracts for complex systems with uncertain delivery requirements.” Depot-level repair services typically count on a steady stream of work through the shop to keep the pipeline primed. IDIQ or low-volume work requires a more agile shop that is able to handle these swings in volume.

So Harrington said a successful shop, instead of being a traditional depot or production operation, must be a hybrid of a job shop or contract field team combined with depot capabilities. And the best way to mitigate the effects of large fluctuations in work is to maintain open lines of communication with customers to understand asset utilization, rate of failures in the field and field service activities that may have been required.

Next up the supply chain is the part supplier. This can be an OEM, or it might just be a part distributor that works for many OEMs and customers and specializes in timely, economic delivery of many different parts. Commercial aircraft operators use such distributors extensively.

For example, most aviation professionals are very familiar with Aviall’s part support for airlines, but less familiar with its work for military maintenance, noted Michael Booen, vice president of government services. A subsidiary of Boeing, Aviall is one of the largest, if not the largest, aircraft part distributor in www.MLF-kmi.com

North America, and Booen thinks there are opportunities for the military to exploit the advantages of Aviall’s scale. “We can save a lot of money in maintaining supply chains for aging aircraft.”

Aviall’s capabilities run across the whole gamut of support, from forecasting demand for parts to purchasing, warehousing and logistics. With 40 warehouses worldwide, Aviall can stock parts as close to customer sites as needed to ensure prompt delivery. “We can push stocks to overseas locations close to maintenance services,” Booen stressed. “The military is worldwide, like commercial aviation.”

Aviall is used to doing this for manufacturers of commercial engines and other aircraft components, allowing these OEMs to focus on developing new technologies. The company often commits to certain service levels for parts, so it needs to do accurate forecasting. Aviall assembles part OEMs, MROs and other users in planning conferences, and then uses its own proprietary forecasting tools to plan for future demand.

“We will invest enough to stay ahead of demand,” Booen said.

That can matter a lot in some circumstances. Booen said one of the challenges in military supply chains is that some of these chains are dormant for years and then must be “woken up” to meet renewed needs. “It would be better to perform a rigorous demand forecast to achieve consistent demand and keep orders flat.”

Aviall now provides parts for several military engines, including the T56 for the C130 Hercules, the Rolls-Royce F402 for the Harrier and GE’s J85, which powers a number of smaller aircraft. The firm can work directly for military customers or, if the OEM wants to maintain a relationship, work for the OEM and stay in the background with customers. Either way, Booen is confident his company can provide good value to defense maintainers. “There’s a reason the cost-conscious airlines use us.”

Disposal and retention of part stocks is another critical dimension of smart part planning. The Defense Department disposed of $1.9 billion in inventory to meet a goal of $10 billion for Fiscal Year 2014, noted John Angelbeck, senior manager of Defense Solutions at Inventory Locator Service. “This action increased the likelihood of DoD buying the same items again to meet future requirements,” Angelbeck said. “Many ILS suppliers and distributors purchased these inventory items at auction www.MLF-kmi.com

Whether a relatively new airframe or a legacy platform, the better the spare parts management the better the rewards throughout the life cycle of the system. [Photo courtesy of Standard Aero]

from the Defense Department and now list them in the ILS database.”

The department has made progress toward its goals for reducing on-order excess inventory. But unless it also establishes supply-chain goals and monitors performance, Angelbeck argued DoD may have difficulties in meeting its goal of reducing on-order excess to 4 percent by the end of FY 2016. Defense Department guidance states that future retention decisions should be based on an economic analysis that balances the likelihood of repurchase with the costs of retention and disposal.

Then there is acquisition of needed parts. Here, Angelbeck expected ILS’s relationship with the Defense Department market to grow, with substantial increases in ILS supplier inventories that support DoD assets. “As we have seen in the commercial sector, more OEMs are taking advantage of the aftermarket industry.” By using ILS as a visibility tool, DoD can get help in finding spare parts quickly. And the ILS database benefits OEMs and suppliers by making their part inventory details readily visible to a global aviation marketplace.

Angelbeck stressed that ILS has provided a trusted and critical tool for supporting the aviation supply chain and logistics since 1979. Since 2006, ILS has been a subsidiary of The Boeing Company. Its website, ILSmart, includes more suppliers listing assets than any other commercial tool.

“We have a worldwide sales force and tenured customer-service team in our corporate office that is knowledgeable and quick to respond to our customer’s needs,” Angelbeck noted. “We take measures to ensure the inventory data posted on the website is as

current as possible.” The known integrity of ILS data is essential to enable procurement officers to make their purchasing decisions quickly. And when three or more sources are needed for a purchasing decision, Angelbeck said ILSmart is the most reliable tool for obtaining them.

Furthermore, ILS product-management teams stay abreast of changes in the marketplace. “They are quick to implement features that improve the speed and relevance of the data provided to our customers,” Angelbeck said. The company is active in many government and aviation associations, sends representatives to speak at conferences and keeps up with key market developments.

Angelbeck said ILS’s market intelligence reports are eagerly and rapidly read by commercial aviation firms, including manufacturers, maintenance organizations and airlines. He predicted defense planners will adopt best private-business practices and begin using this market intelligence trend data to improve planning and optimize budget decisions. “Since spare-part purchases demand high-dollar budgeting, any improvement to this budgetary line item would save significant dollars.”

ILS will also continue to adopt product ideas it receives from its Defense Department and defense contractor customers.

“With continued growth with depot maintenance groups, we expect customer contributions to continue to be communicated and implemented.” O For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mlf-kmi.com.

MLF 9.7 | 7

Unmanned platforms deliver the goods by land, sea and air.

While online retailer Amazon is still waiting for federal approval to begin home delivery of books by unmanned aircraft, the U.S. Marine Corps has been doing it for years with much bigger packages.

Last year, Lockheed Martin’s unmanned K-Max helicopter returned from deployment with the Marines after nearly three years of transporting cargo to troops in Afghanistan, the first unmanned helicopter to do so. With their supply truck convoys frequent targets of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and insurgent attacks, the Marines were looking for a safer alternative. K-Max’s cargo transportation was able to take an estimated 900 trucks off the road and keep their drivers and escorts out of harm’s way.

But transporting supplies isn’t limited to unmanned aircraft.

Manned ground vehicles—from small, rugged all-terrain vehicles to heavy cargo trucks—are being converted into autonomously operating vehicles. The same is true of the optionally manned Proteus, a dual-mode underwater vehicle that can deliver special operations forces swimmers or their equipment and supplies to shore from a submerged submarine. And Textron Systems’ already autonomous patrol boat-sized common unmanned surface vehicle has a reconfigurable and versatile payload bay that can accommodate sensors or cargo.

Air Cargo The K-Max unmanned helicopter is probably the biggest unmanned cargo mover success story. Using a manned helicopter manufactured by Kaman Aerospace Corporation and outfitted with a Lockheed Martin mission package of systems and sensors, the K-Max unmanned aerial system (UAS) can lift 6,000 pounds of cargo at sea level and is capable of flying delivery missions day and night. Two K-Max were sent for field testing in Afghanistan with

8 | MLF 9.7

By John M. Doyle, MLF Correspondent

the Marine Corps in 2011. They proved so versatile in handling diverse cargo missions that the Marines kept both aircraft in country for nearly three years.

“While deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, K-Max flew more than 2,100 hours and carried 4.5 million pounds of cargo,” said Captain Jeff Dodge, the Navy’s Multi-Mission Tactical UAS program manager. One aircraft is currently stored at Lockheed Martin’s Owego, N.Y., facility. The second, which was damaged in a hard landing in Afghanistan, is being repaired at Kaman’s Bloomfield, Conn., site with work completion expected in mid-September.

The Marines plan to move the system out to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona in FY 2016 and fly it with VMX-22, their operational test and evaluation squadron, Dodge added.

Meanwhile, the Lockheed Martin team will continue to develop the system’s onboard technology, increase operational safety and demonstrate its versatility in different scenarios like casualty evacuation and firefighting, said Jay McConville, director of business development for unmanned solutions. “As the use model for K-Max continues to expand, we’ll have the opportunity to expand the number of platforms going out,” he said, adding that it won’t just be for cargo delivery because “there’s a growing awareness that we can do more with UAVs than folks generally think.”

The Marines took two K-Max to Afghanistan, so there would be one operational aircraft and one hot spare at all times. But even after one aircraft was damaged during the deployment, the K-Max team was able to maintain the same operational tempo with just one aircraft because maintenance was minimal; “only 1.4 maintenance man hours per flight hour,” said Jon McMillen, business development manager for K-Max. He noted that all the other services have been watching the Marines’ use of K-Max “because it will dictate how everybody else looks at cargo UAS in the future.”

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Back on the Ground Polaris Defense offers their entire line of rugged ground vehicles as capable of manned or unmanned operation. “We build our vehicles with the ability to be optionally unmanned. And it’s everything from tele-operated to fully unmanned,” said General Manager Rich Haddad, adding, “we’re not an autonomy company. We’re agnostic about whose autonomy package goes on the vehicle.”

But the company has acquired a ground guidance software package called Primordial “that could easily morph into a mission planning type of capability. We are integrating that into our vehicle, but it is not in itself an autonomy package,” Haddad said.

Polaris supplied the ground vehicles that contestants were required to drive in DARPA’s Robotic Challenge to identify robots that could perform human tasks in disasters. And a Polaris 6x6 vehicle was converted by TORC Robotics into the autonomous and semi-autonomous Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate (GUSS) that is being studied by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. Tractor maker John Deere introduced its M-Gator small utility vehicle in 1999, and in 2006, it created a robotic version, the R-Gator, partly to aid the Army’s effort to lighten soldiers’ loads. The first one was purchased by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command for 24/7 perimeter security. But other R-Gators have been used at U.S. military exercises for their ability to carry soldier gear.

R-Gator’s operational modes include full autonomy, where it can either choose waypoints and make its way to a pre-determined destination or follow a map. It can do leader-follower operations with soldiers, like the Marines’ GUSS. It can also be tele-operated, and if needed, a soldier can operate it manually.

R-Gator has a cargo bed that can carry 1,000 pounds. The vehicle is equipped with GPS, an inertial navigation system, an odometer and motional and rotational sensors, in case GPS fails. There is also obstacle detection, obstacle avoidance technology with two forward laser-range sensors to detect and identify obstacles more than 65 feet away in both tele-operation and autonomous mode.

Conversion Kits As other defense contractors consider how to make military ground vehicles autonomous, Oshkosh Defense is exploring new uses for the autonomous technology it began developing in 2004.

TerraMax UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) is a multi-sensor system that combines registration techniques to provide accurate positioning estimates without relying on continuous tracking through a lead vehicle or GPS signals. In fact, the system can operate in GPS-denied areas. It employs a drive-by-wire kit that can be integrated onto any platform, and the rest of the kit is vehicle-agnostic.

While envisioned as a force protection technology for removing a human driver from a truck operating along hazardous routes, it also acts as a force multiplier, company engineers said, by allowing a single operator to monitor and supervise multiple UGVs in a convoy.

Last year, Lockheed Martin unveiled its technology to turn current and future military cargo trucks into individual autonomous ground vehicles that could be herded into driverless convoys.

The Autonomous Mobility Applique System (AMAS) uses standardized kits that could be employed across a wide range of vehicle types to make them driver-optional. The idea is not just to convert www.MLF-kmi.com

the vehicles to unmanned vehicles but to make them completely autonomous, Lockheed Martin said.

While the Defense Department has set a goal for one-third of operational ground combat vehicles to be unmanned by 2015, and the Army has successfully tested autonomous technology on cargo vehicles, budget cuts and a burdensome acquisition process have squeezed Army research and development, including unmanned technologies, according to Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.

Two by Sea Textron Systems’ Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV) was originally designed to be deployed from the Navy’s littoral combat ship for a number of missions, including countermine operations and fleet security. The robotic patrol boat, with a reconfigurable payload capability that can accommodate side-scan sonar, mine neutralization or ISR sensors, has more than 2,000 hours of in-water operations experience. The fourth-generation CUSV, with expanded payload and weight capability, will be part of the Navy’s unmanned mine sweeping system for the growing LCS fleet.

“In addition to the CUSV’s use for this mine countermeasure mission, the vehicle is capable of being adapted for a variety of mission sets, including, but not limited to, carrying cargo and supplies,” said Bill Leonard, director of unmanned surface systems for Textron. “With an external payload bay that is modular in nature, the CUSV is able to accommodate a modest load of cargo and supplies while working within space and weight parameters to ensure vehicle performance in various sea conditions,” he added.

Originally developed by as a swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV) for up to six Navy SEALS, Proteus, a massive 8,000-pound submersible, is now being leased by the Navy for testing as a dual-mode vehicle that can operate as manned SDV or a cargo-carrying unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). “The idea of using it as an unmanned mule is very feasible,” said George Geoghegan, maritime systems manager for Battelle, which together with shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries owns and operates Proteus.

The almost 26-foot-long Proteus has 170 cubic feet of space in its cargo area and exterior side rails that can carry bulkier cargo, although the maximum total payload is limited to 1,100 pounds.

Cargo will either have to be sealed in watertight packaging or be water-resistant because the cabin is flooded when underway as part of its original mission to allow divers to enter and exit the vehicle while submerged. But that means there’s more room for payload.

Powered by 20 lithium polymer batteries that weigh about 100 pounds each when underway, Proteus has a range of about 350 nautical miles at an energy-saving low speed of 3 knots, and a maximum speed of 9 knots fully-loaded, Geoghegan said. Like an SDV, Proteus can be transported to a denied area in the dry deck shelter of a submarine. It can work at depths of 150 feet manned and 200 feet unmanned.

Unmanned, the vessel can be pre-programmed to run underwater from point to point, but it does not have obstacle avoidance capability; however, Geoghegan said that’s just another payload that can be added. O For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mlf-kmi.com.

MLF 9.7 | 9

SUPPLY CHAIN

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

TACOM Support Science Applications International Corp. was awarded three prime contracts for the TACOM Strategic Service Solutions (TS3) family of contracts. These contracts will provide the U.S. Army a variety of services and solutions to support the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, the Program Executive Offices for Ground Combat Systems, Combat Support & Combat Service Support, System of Systems Engineering & Integration, and the Tank Automotive Research and Development Command (TARDEC).

The multiple-award, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts cover three individual service areas: a knowledge-based services contract totaling $1.8 billion; an equipment-related services

Advanced Traceability and Control Program The United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is responsible for providing for the transportation needs of DoD, including the movement of DoD freight traffic, Homeland Security and any subsets such as U.S. Coast Guard. For this, USTRANSCOM requires freight transportation services to support the U.S Navy Advanced Traceability and Control (ATAC) Program and issued a request for proposal for interested contractors.

The ATAC program is a Navy initiative for the tracking, tracing, packing, reporting and movement of high-dollar depot-level repairables (DLR) product lines such as Not Ready For Issue (NRFI), Carcass Express (CE) and Routine (RT) priority items from point of failure to a repair facility, and ultimately back to the end-user after repair of assets that are Ready for Issue (RFI) or on a Redistribution Order (RDO). ATAC is also responsible for transporting RFI Offloads, Repair and Return (R&R), Marine Aviation, Ground Marine (GM), Coast Guard material and aircraft engines.

contract totaling $1.1 billion; and a research and development services contract totaling $634 million. The contracts each have a five-year period of performance, and a combined total contract value of more than $3.2 billion available to all awardees. SAIC is one of four awardees that will compete for task orders under all three contracts. Work will be performed primarily in Sterling Heights, Mich.

“SAIC is excited to be awarded a prime position on all three TS3 contracts, and we are pleased to provide the Army’s ground vehicle portfolio with mission-critical support,” said John Gully, SAIC senior vice president and general manager of the Army and Air Force Customer Group.

Coalition Force Support in Iraq SOS International LLC (SOSi) has been awarded two prime contracts to provide base life support to the U.S. Army in Taji and Besmaya, Iraq.

Work will be performed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve with an estimated completion date of mid-2018.

The contracts have a combined initialfunded value of $125 million.

SOSi will provide all services, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials and supervision necessary to meet the needs of several thousand deployed U.S. coalition forces and contractors. This includes lodging, office space, command and control center operation, emergency fire and medical services, meal services, bulk water, bulk fuel, prime power, Internet and IT communications, general facilities maintenance operations and site security.

“The support we are providing to U.S. Army personnel in Iraq is unique,” said Julian Setian, SOSi chief executive officer. “This is the first time the Army has

contracted for a single turnkey solution that includes not just basic life support services, but emergency medical and fire services, bulk food and fuel and perimeter security as well. Our innovative fixed-price approach is helping the Army devise new, more cost-effective methods for contracting for these services in the future. It forces the contractor to meet the Army’s requirements, while maintaining the strictest standards for performance and cost-control.

This reduces cost to the U.S. taxpayer and gives the Army a much greater degree of predictability in terms of how it allocates and manages its resources.”

“Using contractors to support the U.S. military reduces the number of support troops needed, so the servicemembers who are there can focus on the mission to assist, advise and train the Iraqi security forces,” said Lieutenant General (Ret.) Helmick, SOSi vice president for mission solutions. “Contractors thicken the ranks and enable the military to accomplish the mission.”

Two-Dimensional Dot Label Dynamic Systems, Inc., a provider of barcode tracking systems for government agencies, has announced the release of the 2-Dimensional (2-D) Dot label for The Total Track System.

For the past 10 years, DoD has a requirement to tag government property with a unique identification number that is

10 | MLF 9.7

serialized. The 2-D label will enhance the tracking of all government assets.

The system also alerts when preventative maintenance is due on all equipment, tools and vehicles. The software also includes an inventory function that will track consumable supplies and keep minimum and maximum

levels and tell you when items are due for purchase.

Dynamics Systems offers a variety of barcode labels formats, including preprinted polyester labels with adhesive backing, metal tags, custom labels, and now, the 2-Dimensional Label.

The introduction of 2-D labels allows users to track

items where the typical barcode label won’t adhere. Examples are where the surface of the tool being tracked is not flat or smooth. The 2-D label allows tools and equipment that are stored under harsh conditions of high and low temperatures and has a small footprint to be tracked more effectively.

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Mobility Providers Lt. Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II

Commander U.S. 18th Air Force

Brig. Gen. Brian S. Robinson

618th Air Operations Center

2015

U.S. Air Mobility Command

U.S. Air Mobility Command

Mobility Providers

Q& A

Paving the Way for a Rapid First Response Lieutenant General Carlton D. Everhart II Commander U.S. 18th Air Force

Editor’s Note: As this issue of Military Logistics Forum was going to press, Lieutenant General Everhart was promoted to general and assumed command of the Air Force Air Mobility Command.

Lieutenant General Carlton D. Everhart II is commander, 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. As Air Mobility Command’s sole warfighting numbered air force, 18th Air Force is responsible for the command’s worldwide operational mission of providing rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America’s armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation and contingency response. With more than 37,000 active duty airmen, reservists and civilians and approximately 1,100 aircraft, the 18th Air Force manages the global air mobility enterprise through the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), 11 wings and two stand-alone groups.

Continued on page 1 ➥

C2 | MLF 9.7 | U.S. Air Mobility Command

Brigadier General Brian S. Robinson Commander 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center)

Brigadier General Brian S. Robinson is the commander, 618th Air Operations Center (AOC) (Tanker Airlift Control Center), Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The 618th AOC (TACC) is responsible for operational planning, scheduling, directing and assessing a fleet of approximately 1,100 aircraft in support of combat delivery and strategic airlift, air refueling and aeromedical operations around the world.

Robinson is a native of Philadelphia, Pa., and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Philadelphia University in 1987. Later that year, he received his commission from Air Force Officer Training School. He attended undergraduate pilot training and later served as a T-38B first assignment instructor pilot before moving on to a series of operational assignments in the C-130E/H/J and the C-17A, representing the full range of tactical and strategic airlift and aerial delivery. He commanded a C-17A airlift squadron and a deployed expeditionary airlift squadron. He also held staff assignments at Air Mobility Command, U.S. Central Command and the Joint Staff. Robinson served as vice commander, Continued on page 4 ➥

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U.S. Air Mobility Command ➦

Continued from page C2

General Everhart also commands Task Force 294, which oversees Air Force tanker operations in support of U.S. Strategic Command.

Everhart received his commission in 1983 through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He previously served as a flight examiner and instructor and held various aircrew flying assignments in the C-130E, C-17A and C-21A. He was the Air Force aide to the president and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. Everhart also served at Headquarters Air Education and Training Command as the inspector general and the deputy director of intelligence, operations and nuclear integration for flying training.

Q: The Air Force mobilized a response to the tragedy in Nepal. What did that entail?

A: The U.S. military has contributed joint assets from all of our military services to the Nepal relief effort. Eighteenth Air Force was one of the first to respond by flying urban search and rescue teams from Virginia and Los Angeles into Nepal.

As soon as we were notified of the impending requirement, we put aircrews into an alert status. The 618th Air Operation Center, also known as the Tanker Airlift Control Center, did a fantastic job rearranging airlift schedules to free up C-17s for a rapid response and arranging diplomatic clearances for the first jets. We maintained watch through U.S. Transportation Command virtual planning conferences and prepared to airlift additional requirements. In the end, we transported more than 100 search and rescue personnel to help with the relief efforts.

The Nepal operation is just one of several operations 18th Air Force conducts worldwide every year in support of combatant commanders. In 2014 alone, we conducted more than 82,000 sorties, delivering more than 1 million passengers and 0.5 million tons of cargo in support of missions such as Inherent Resolve in the Middle East and United Assistance in West Africa.

Q: In some areas where you have deployed, aircraft have not had the best infrastructure. Tell me about the process and equipment to go into areas hit by a disaster—such as Nepal— or an area such as Liberia.

A: Our process includes an operational environment assessment usually conducted by talking to stakeholders and/or experts on the ground, and sometimes sending airmen in-country to do our own assessments. We assess fuel, cargo handling equipment and personnel required to work airlift missions.

In Nepal, we found out that U.S. Pacific Air Forces had a C-130 on the ground at the time of the earthquake. The aircrew provided feedback on the status of the airport. We were concerned that navigational aids and even the runway itself might have shifted, and we were limited to daytime visual conditions for the first aircraft. Planners used this information to conduct

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an operational risk management assessment. With this information, our mobility forces were able to transport search and rescue ground teams, relief supplies such as food and shelter and later helicopters to deliver aid to remote locations not accessible by road.

Part of our mission at 18th Air Force is to go through our process and identify limiting factors and their impact. There are a million details that our planners have to account for to make these missions successful; no one ever has to worry about those things. It all happens in the background, a sign of how good our airmen are at their jobs.

Q: During a given year, various elements of the 18th participate in multinational exercises. What are the biggest takeaways that you gain from these exercises?

A: It’s a constant cycle. Each partner nation is unique with its own strengths and weaknesses. By conducting exercises, we validate their and our training programs to accomplish the various geographic combatant commanders’ missions. Furthermore, we identify emerging threats and develop strategies to counter them such as training, exercises and studying lessons we learn over time. It’s not just about identifying emerging threats, but also seeking opportunities for new international partnerships.

To put this into perspective: In July, we will deploy an infantry battalion from Alaska non-stop to a parachute drop in Australia to highlight our part of the Pivot to the Pacific and show how fast we can deploy a force over intercontinental distances. This will be done as part of a coalition movement with the Royal Australian Air Force.

In October, we will test the defense of North America with an air-refueling-intensive exercise that practices large force generation, special command and control arrangements and exercise our ability to perform offensive and defensive operational plans.

In November, we’ll practice deployment of the Global Response Force from CONUS to Europe in support of USEUCOM objectives.

I also have to mention our mobility air support squadron teams who frequently pair up with CCMD personnel to assist in exercises throughout Africa and South America.

Q: What is your mix of active, Reserve and National Guard airmen? Are you at an optimum mix, and if not, what are you doing to move towards the right ratios?

A: The Reserves contribute about 42,000 additional airmen, while the ANG contributes approximately 35,000. Eighteenth Air Force is absolutely committed to leveraging the distinct and complementary characteristics of its total force more effectively … and to do that, airmen must be postured to operate cohesively and seamlessly as one team. We can’t do this job without them. O

U.S. Air Mobility Command | MLF 9.7 | 1

U.S. Air Mobility Command

Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II Commander

Maj. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz Jr. Vice Commander

Brig. Gen. (Select) Stacey Hawkins Director of Logistics

Col. Robert K. Lyman Director of Communications & Chief Information Officer

2015

18th Air Force

Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Sharpy Commander (Temporarily Assigned)

Brig. Gen. Patrick X. Mordente Vice Commander

Brig. Gen. Steven Berryhill AMC Assistant to the Commander

Brig. Gen. Thomas E. Kittler Mobilization Assistant to the Commander

Chief Master Sgt. Robert Rodewald Command Chief Master Sgt.

Cheryl Lanke Director, Division of Intelligence

Col. David Cox Director, Division of Operations

Col. James Hendrickson Director AFFOR-I

Col. Aaron Gittner Director, Division of Plans and Strategy

Col. Jeffrey Slagle Staff Judge Advocate

Col. Vikki Ellison Director of Staff

AMC Headquarters

Chief Master Sgt. Victoria V. Gamble Command Chief Master Sgt.

Col. Michael K. Honma Director of Staff

Chief Master Sgt. Virginia M. Storm First Sergeant

Col. Frederick D. Thaden Director of Manpower, Personnel and Services

Col. Keith E. Andrews Director of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

John H. Bonapart Director of Installations and Mission Support

David L. Merrill Director of Analyses, Assessments and Lessons Learned

Maj. Gen. Todd Kelly ANG Assistant to the Air Mobility Commander

Maj. Gen. Brian E. Dominguez Mobilization Assistant to the Air Mobility Commander

Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Sharpy Director of Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs

Maj. Gen. Jerry P. Martinez Director of Operations

618th AOC TACC

Brig. Gen. Brian S. Robinson Commander

Col. Kenneth T. Bibb Vice Commander

Col. John P. Healy Mobilization Assistant

Col. Eric P. Delange Director, Cyber Operations

Chief Master Sgt. Samuel A. Frederick Superintendent

Senior Master Sgt. Landon K. Branch First Sgt.

Ashely R. Myers Director, Global Channel Operations

Col. Darren D. Sprunk Director, Global Readiness

Col. Joe H. Santos Director, Current Operations

Stephen M. Jones Director, Mobility Management

Michael H. Thornton Senior Director of Operations

Col. Kelly M. Kirby Director, Command and Control

Lt. Col. Christopher J. Lovett Director, Global Mobility Weather Operations

Stephen S. Pierson Director, Mission Support

Col. Brandon K. Nugent, USAFR Advisor, United States Air Force Reserve

Lt. Col. Christopher Cole ANG, Advisor Air National Guard

U.S. Air Mobility Command ➦

Continued from page 1

437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, S.C., and as the commander, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark. Most recently, he was the vice commander, 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), Scott AFB. In January 2003, he deployed to the 609th Air and Space Operations Center, during which time he served as the chief of AMD Strategy and Tactics Branch. Robinson was the lead operational-level planner for the 173rd Airborne Brigade airdrop and air/land follow-on echelons, which enabled the seizure of vital territory in Northern Iraq and established a second front in the ground campaign.

Later, in 2007, General Robinson returned to the 609th Air and Space Operations Center as the director, Air Mobility Division. In that capacity, he was responsible for leading planning and execution of all intra-theater air mobility, aerial port and aeromedical evacuation in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in order to achieve the combined forces air component commander and joint forces commander’s objectives.

Robinson is a command pilot and U.S. Air Force weapons officer with more than 4,300 hours in airlift and trainer aircraft.

His major awards and decoration include: Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster; Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Air Medal; Aerial Achievement Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster; and Antarctic Service Medal.

Q: What is the 618 AOC’s mission?

A: The 618th Air Operations Center’s mission is to make global reach a reality by transforming mission requirements into executable and effective missions through efficient operational planning, tasking, execution and assessment of global air mobility operations. Whether it’s the day-to-day operations of moving people and equipment around the world or a contingency response to offer humanitarian aid in the wake of disaster, we stand ready to make that happen on behalf of Air Mobility Command 18th Air Force.

Q: What is your relationship to USTRANSCOM, AMC and 18 AF? A: Together, Air Mobility Command, 18th Air Force and the 618th AOC act as the air arm of USTRANSCOM. When they need to move anything through the air, USTRANSCOM calls on our mobility expertise. USTRANSCOM validates mission requirements from the combatant commanders and sends them directly to us for planning, tasking, executing and assessment, but we couldn’t accomplish those goals without the support of AMC and 18th Air Force.

AMC accomplishes the organize, train and equip functions of our airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation mission, and 18th Air Force focuses on our operational and strategic vision, while the AOC acts as the direct line of communication to the units who fly our missions.

4 | MLF 9.7 | U.S. Air Mobility Command

We have been entrusted to oversee the tactical control of operational units in the field.

Q: Who are your customers? Who benefits directly from the missions you plan?

A: We execute validated mission requirements for USTRANSCOM on behalf of AMC and 18 AF, but those requirements originate from the commanders of the Department of Defense’s geographic and functional combatant commands. As a result, we plan and execute missions around the globe every day.

Whether that means assisting USSOCOM with strategic airlift in support of special operations or planning to move humanitarian aid supplies to USAFRICOM in support for efforts like Operation United Assistance, our ability to complete the mission quickly and efficiently speaks volumes about our relationship with these organizations. This synergy is key in ensuring our warfighters have the tools they need wherever, whenever.

Q: How many people work at the AOC? What is the makeup of your team in regards to military vs. civilian?

A: The 618th AOC’s global area of responsibility, and the importance of our mission, necessitates a 24/7/365 operation; we have approximately 750 dedicated total force airmen who make that happen. A large portion of them constitute our active-duty force, but we couldn’t do what we do without the hard work of our Air Force reservists, Air National guardsmen, sister servicemembers, foreign exchange officers, civil service personnel and contractors.

The 618th AOC is a melting pot of experience and backgrounds, where each individual brings a unique skillset to the team. On our operations floor, you’ll see colonels with decades of time in service working side by side with flight controllers just out of tech school. Referencing our civilian workforce specifically, they fill critical roles throughout our organization and play a vital role in the continuity of our operations.

Q: What major mission sets you are responsible for?

A: Our global mobility mission calls us to support combat delivery and strategic airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation operations around the world.

The 618th AOC is AMC’s sole operations center and serves as the command and control hub for its mobility mission; helping put the global in Global Vigilance, Global Reach and Global Power for America.

Q: What are some notable missions from the past year that you played a part in?

A: Over the past year, the 618th AOC played a critical role in a number of notable AMC missions ranging from military operations to humanitarian assistance.

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U.S. Air Mobility Command In close coordination with AMC and 18 Air Force, the 618th AOC planned and executed the first two U.S. missions to Kathmandu, delivering search and rescue personnel and cargo in support of relief efforts following the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal in April.

In support of Operation United Assistance, which was the U.S. effort to fight Ebola in West Africa, the 618th AOC planned 780 sorties, transporting more than 3,700 personnel and nearly 7,400 tons of cargo used to set up transportation hubs and treatment facilities in the area. Our aeromedical evacuation experts also worked closely with AMC and USTRANSCOM to develop implementation guidelines for the newly designed Transportation Isolation System that can be used to safely transport patients if needed.

Q: Walk me through the planning process of one of your missions?

618th AOC, 18th Air Force and AMC average more than 500 missions every day. In 2014, the 618th AOC filed nearly 250,000 flight clearances. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force]

Q: What are some of considerations your planners must account for?

planning are the who, what, where and when, and those are determined by the combatant commanders’ initial requirements. The answers to these questions help us determine things like optimal flight paths, what international diplomatic clearances are necessary and what airfields will be suitable for the mission.

Diplomatic clearances require significant consideration, given each country we fly over or land in has different rules and regulations we have to observe. On average, each mission we execute flies through seven to eleven different countries’ sovereign airspace. In 2014, the 618th AOC filed nearly 250,000 flight clearances, and each required anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks of lead time. The men and women of our International Clearances and Flight Plans Division work hand-in-hand with foreign governments every day to ensure our crews have the legal authority they need to fly where their missions take them.

Each type of aircraft we use has different capabilities, and each airfield we fly into is not created equal. If we look at the C-5 Galaxy, for example, some airfields can’t support a plane that is nearly 250 feet long. Planners also need to make sure there is room to land, park and service an aircraft at the locations throughout its itinerary before it leaves from its initial point of departure.

Another significant consideration in planning is weather, which is the responsibility of the Global Mobility Weather Operations Directorate. They rely on more than 20 years of historical meteorological data to predict weather patterns around the world. Additionally, they track developing meteorological events and seismic activity that can create hurricanes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis, which can impact our mission.

These are just a few of the many factors our mission planners must consider. They serve as a testament to the flexibility of the men and women working in the 618th AOC and the mobility enterprise we support.

A: The 618th AOC, 18th Air Force and AMC average more than 500 mission every day, so you can imagine there are a lot of variable factors our planners have to account for. The biggest drivers in mission

Q: What type of aircraft do your planners have to work with and what role do commercially contracted airlines play in the mobility mission?

A: After receiving validated requirements from USTRANSCOM, the missions fall into a four-phase process: planning, tasking, execution and assessment. While these distinct planning phases exist, nothing happens in isolation. Our missions are planned through the hard work and collaboration of the 618 AOC’s eight directorates.

Depending on the type of mission, it enters the planning phase with one of our three planning teams: the Global Readiness Directorate, Global Channel Operations Directorate or the Current Operations Directorate. They look at the who, what, where and when of the requirements and create an action plan to answer the how.

Next, the mission needs to be tasked, which falls to the Mobility Management Directorate. Tasking is the process of finding an aircraft and aircrew capable of completing the mission and that is, ideally, able to position effectively after completion for whatever task comes next.

Twenty-four hours before the mission is scheduled to depart, it’s sent to the Command and Control directorates for execution.

These are the teams that keep constant watch over the missions and ensure the aircrews have the support they need to safely and efficiently execute the mission.

The fourth phase is assessment, and it is a continuous process throughout mission planning. Every member of the AOC is encouraged to find innovative ways to increase efficiency, but the Mission Support Directorate is a strong force in making that happen. They provide data, technology and resource support to the entire AOC and serve as a force multiplier. We also solicit feedback from aircrews executing our missions, as their tactical perspective can help us innovate at the operational level.

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U.S. Air Mobility Command | MLF 9.7 | 5

U.S. Air Mobility Command A: If AMC were to fully mobilize its fleet, the 618th AOC would have approximately 1,100 aircraft at its disposal. However, day to day, we only have access to a portion of that number due to aircrew training requirements, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, and the fact that other Air Force major commands retain operational control of a number of AMC aircraft.

We use the KC-10 Extender and KC-135 Stratotanker to execute our air refueling mission. These are versatile and capable of air refueling a variety of Air Force and sister service aircraft. These models can also double as cargo planes when airlift support is required.

For our combat delivery and strategic airlift missions, we primarily rely on the C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III and the C-5. Each aircraft offers a different util- Over the past year, the 618th AOC was responsible for offloading nearly 20 million gallons of fuel through more than 2,200 air refueling ity so we do our best to select the right tail sorties in coordination with AMC and 18th Air Force. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force] for the right job.

Q: Can you tell me more about specific types of air refueling Every aircraft in AMC and 18th Air Force’s fleet can be outfitted missions? to fly an aeromedical evacuation mission, and we take great pride in our ability to provide lifesaving support to fellow servicemembers at A: Over the past year, the 618th AOC was responsible for offloading a moment’s notice. nearly 20 million gallons of fuel through more than 2,200 air refuelIt’s important to note that we would not be able to meet the ing sorties in coordination with AMC and 18th Air Force. Just like needs of the combatant commanders without the relationships airlift, our air refueling missions fall into several distinct mission sets: we’ve developed with commercial carriers. They are responsible for Airlift Support Missions extend the range of our planes and a large portion of all our cargo and passenger movements around enable them to accomplish their missions faster and safer. With an the world. air refueling, our crews can skip en-route refueling stops, saving them time and removing the need to stop in potentially dangerous Q: What role do the reserve components play in your mission? locations.

Homeland Defense Missions allow the Air Force’s fighter jets to A: Just as we couldn’t complete our mission without the total force provide armed overwatch for presidential travel and high-visibility team working within our organization, we wouldn’t be able to exeevents across the country. These jets are formidable but have a very cute all of AMC’s missions without the support of Air Force Reserve short range. AMC and 18th Air Force tankers allow them to remain and Air National Guard units across the country. We have full-time in the air much longer and provide security as necessary.

Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve advisors on staff who help Coronet Missions are used to escort fighters to overseas locaus maintain relationships with these units and ensure we use their tions or back to the continental United States. Along with the support as efficiently as possible. extended range, fighters rely on our tankers for their long-distance communication and navigation capabilities over the open ocean.

Q: Can you tell me more about specific types of airlift missions?

A: In coordination with AMC and 18th Air Force, the 618th AOC was responsible for moving more than 458,000 tons of cargo in the past year. For planning purposes, our airlift operations fall into three primary classifications: Channel Missions are created when a sustained flow of airlift support is needed. The easiest way to understand these missions is to think about them in terms of a fixed mail route that travels on a regular schedule.

Special Assignment Airlift Missions are used to satisfy unique operational requirements for cargo movements that need to go to locations that aren’t serviced by established channel mission routes.

Contingency Missions involve deployment, sustainment and redeployment airlift efforts in direct support of an operation or responding to a natural disaster or national emergency.

6 | MLF 9.7 | U.S. Air Mobility Command

Q: Can you tell me more about aeromedical evacuation missions?

A: The men and women of the 618th AOC take great pride in our ability to provide lifesaving support to fellow servicemembers at a moment’s notice, and that is exactly what our aeromedical evacuation missions do.

AE patients move for one of two reasons. The first reason is what most people think of when they hear aeromedical evacuation; a warfighter is injured on the battlefield and needs help. These Short Notice Missions are used to move urgent patients like these to a higher level of care as quickly as possible. The second type of AE movements is Planned Missions. Similarly to channel airlift mission, these are regularly occurring, fixed-route movements used to move patients who have non-life-threatening injuries to a higher level of care. O www.MLF-kmi.com

SUPPLY CHAIN

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Facilitates SATCOM Terminals DataPath, Inc. a provider of remote field communications and information technology solutions to the aerospace, government, broadcast and infrastructure markets, announced that the company has been awarded a foreign military sales (FMS) contract worth nearly $6.5 million to supply WGS Satellite Communications (SATCOM) terminals with additional equipment and training to the Danish Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO). The contract was facilitated by the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

Through this contract, DataPath will deliver around 30 DataPath CommuniCase Technology 1.2 M (CCT 120) portable satellite terminals to the Danish Air Force and Army. The hardware deliveries, to be completed this year, will immediately enable Denmark to maximize its investment in the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) constellation.

Air Operations Center Weapon System The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Operational Command and Control (C2) Division (AFLCMC/ HBB) is conducting market research to seek qualified sources to provide engineering, integration, test and other technical services to support modernization, sustainment and fielding of the Air Operations Center Weapon System (AOC WS) baseline(s) beginning in Fiscal Year 2016. The AOC WS provides the required core air battle planning, management and execution capabilities used by the combined/joint forces air component commander for: planning and development of the joint air operations plan and the air operations directive; generation and dissemination of the air tasking order and airspace control order; air and space defensive planning and execution; and targeting and numerous other applications supporting air operations command and control.

Navy Inks Largest Purchase Agreement for Renewable Energy by Federal Entity The Department of the Navy (DON), Western Area Power Administration (Western) and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power hosted a ceremony August 20 at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., commemorating an agreement to construct a 210 megawatt (MW) direct current solar facility to benefit 14 DON installations.

The agreement, signed last month, is the largest purchase of renewable energy ever made by a federal entity.

Adding solar power to naval installations will help diversify the DON’s shore energy portfolio and provide long-term cost stability, which ultimately contributes to the DON’s energy security priorities. In May 2014, the DON and Western signed an interagency agreement that allowed Western to issue a request for proposal (RFP) and then select Sempra U.S. Gas & Power’s Mesquite Solar 3 project, a solar plant located 60 miles west of Phoenix, Ariz. More than 650,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels on ground-mounted, horizontal single-axis trackers will be installed, providing a third of the energy needed to power 14 Navy and Marine Corps installations. Construction of Mesquite Solar 3 begins this month, and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power expects the project to be complete by the end of 2016.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who hosted the ceremony with Western and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, emphasized the importance of the agreement.

“The collaboration on Mesquite Solar 3 is a triumph of innovative problem solving, and will help to increase the DON’s energy security by diversifying our power portfolio and improving energy efficiency,” said Mabus. “This agreement is also projected to save the DON at least $90 million over the life of the project.”

In addition to the energy security benefits to the DON, the Mesquite Solar 3 project will help the 14 installations comply with California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. At 210 MW, the solar facility will contribute 21 percent of the power needed to meet Secretary Mabus’ goal of bringing one gigawatt of renewable energy into procurement by the end of 2015.

Aerial Refueling History Engility Holdings, Inc., teaming with the United States Navy and its Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstration program, recently supported the first-time aerial refueling of an unmanned aircraft, marking an historic milestone in aviation history.

Under the project leadership of Air Traffic Control Systems Division, Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Department (NAWCAD) Patuxent River Code 4.11.7, Engility supported aerial refueling of the X-47B as it performed a rendezvous with an Omega K-707 tanker.

Engility provided a range of services for this event, including software engineering that used inertial and GPS data to compute and send precision navigation information to the X-47B, enabling the aircraft to navigate to a fixed position behind the tanker; hardware engineering; and the mechanical design of racks of equipment, including custom components, www.MLF-kmi.com

that were installed on the Omega tanker (this equipment included power devices, sensors and radios, antennas, custom circuit cards, high-density cameras and cabling).

Engility President and CEO Tony Smeraglinolo issued the following statement about the successful test: “Engility, and specifically the team at our Hollywood, Md., Engineering and Fabrication facility, are proud to support the U.S. Navy and this strategic unmanned aerial refueling program. We are also proud to have been a part of this historic flight. Ultimately, the successful conclusion of the UCAS-D and Automated-Aerial-Refueling technology testing program will strategically extend the range and time aloft of our nation’s unmanned aircraft fleet, providing critical mission support for our forces in different environments.”

MLF 9.7 | 11

Mobility Provider

Q& A

Providing Rapid, Global Mobility and Sustainment for U.S. Armed Forces General Darren W. McDew Commander U.S. Air Mobility Command Editor’s Note: As this issue of Military Logistics Forum was going to press, General McDew transitioned from Air Mobility Command and assumed command of U.S. Transportation Command

General Darren W. McDew is commander, Air Mobility Command (AMC), Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Air Mobility Command’s mission is to provide rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America’s armed forces.

McDew was commissioned in 1982 following his graduation from Virginia Military Institute. He began his flying career at Loring Air Force Base, Maine. His staff assignments include serving as a member of the Air Force Chief of Staff Operations Group, Air Force aide to the president, chief of the U.S. Air Force Senate Liaison Division, Washington, D.C., and the director of public affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. As part of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, McDew also served as vice director for strategic plans and policy. He has served as the vice commander of the 18th Air Force, Scott AFB, and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels as well as an Air Force direct reporting unit. He has deployed in support of ongoing operations in Central and Southwest Asia as an air expeditionary group commander and later as the director of mobility forces.

Prior to his current assignment, McDew was the commander of the 18th Air Force, Scott AFB. His major awards and decorations include: Distinguished Service Medal; Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters; Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters; Army Commendation Medal; Air Force Achievement Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with nine oak leaf clusters; Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with three oak leaf clusters; Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters; National Defense Service Medal with bronze star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Kosovo Campaign Medal with bronze star; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; and Armed Forces Service Medal.

Q: What events led to the development of the transport isolation system and how has it been used for patient evacuations?

A: U.S Transportation Command identified a required capability to potentially move numbers of highly contagious patients as U.S. troops deployed to Africa in support of Operation United Assistance.

12 | MLF 9.7

In case there was an outbreak of Ebola virus disease among military members, there was only a limited way of getting servicemembers to medical care at U.S. facilities through a contracted air service. The transport isolation system was a quick acquisition-to-fielding effort to transport multiple highly infectious patients.

In September 2014, USTRANSCOM officially asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff for joint urgent operational need funding. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency was assigned to oversee research and development; the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center conducted testing; and the Joint Project Manager-Protection Office led the acquisition of the system. The $7 million research and development effort resulted in production modules of the system within four months of initial conception.

Air Mobility Command will manage, posture and operate the resulting system. The TIS is a modular, buildable system capable of transporting up to three litter patients or four ambulatory patients in each module. This allows for flexibility with various patient configurations. The TIS is composed of an anteroom module and either one or two isolation modules, each with a plastic liner supported by a metal structure built onto a patient support pallet. The standard configuration is for two seats and one litter.

Though DoD has not yet been tasked to move infectious patients onboard the TIS, the Air Force mobility enterprise is postured and ready to support when called. www.MLF-kmi.com

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Q: What is the status of the C-5 fleet?

A: Currently, there are 60 C-5 A, B and C Galaxies and C-5M Super Galaxies in the total force fleet. As of May this year, there are 11 C-5Bs in C-5M conversion via the Reliability Enhancement and Reengining Program (RERP) modification. By April 2018, there will be 52 C-5Ms. Q: Is there an ongoing study or AoA that is looking at a replacement for the C-5 and/or the C-17? Within the confines of normal procurement, how much lead time do you need to get a replacement aircraft in the air?

A: In May 2013, AMC and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center completed a two-year preliminary analysis that examined a future global airlifter to replace the current C-17 and C-5 fleets, circa 2035-2040. This preliminary analysis examined mission needs, capability gaps and technologies that could be applied to a future global airlifter in the mid-2030 strategic environment.

The Air Force and Air Mobility Command have not yet established requirements for a future airlifter. Army requirement considerations would be at the forefront of any Air Force exploration and acquisition strategy of a future tactical or strategic airlifter. Even after the Air Force and Army establish jointly vetted capabilities requirements, we will have to work within budgetary constraints.

As to the amount of lead time required for getting a replacement aircraft in the air, there are many different ways to look at this question. Assuming you mean from the time you finalize the requirement until the time you take first delivery ... approximately eight to 10 years. If you mean the time from contract award to first delivery ... approximately six to eight years. And both of those estimates are conservative unless you buy straight off-the-shelf commercial with no military mods. There are numerous different methods to procure aircraft, but these approaches encompass most of our programs.

Q: Will AMC get into the unmanned air transport business?

A: I believe increased autonomy is the future of air mobility operations. We have already seen how successful remotely piloted aircraft such as the Predator and Global Hawk have been. AMC’s challenge is adapting those technologies and concepts to suit greater-mobility aircraft conducting global mobility missions.

AMC has examined the potential for unmanned aircraft systems and autonomous operations for several years. From 2003 to 2011, AMC worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory in defining and testing automated air refueling. In 2009, AMC also sponsored an unmanned cargo aircraft day with industry to strengthen partnerships and awareness of developing concepts. Additionally, AMC participated in a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency project, called Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System, or ALIAS, which examines technologies and procedures for automating aircraft operations to permit reduced aircrew and, eventually, fully autonomous aircraft operations. Currently, we’re working with AFRL on a contracted feasibility study to examine the potential of single-pilot operations in a transport aircraft, which could serve as our next step toward increased automation.

One thing is certain—we must continue to develop and leverage the potential benefits of increased automation. That applies not only to the employment of our current fleet, but also in the development 14 | MLF 9.7

of our future mobility aircraft. Even as we bring online the KC-46, our nation’s newest aircraft, we must envision how the next-generation tanker that follows it should bring about not just an evolution, but also a revolution of ideas. Tomorrow’s mobility aircraft should integrate autonomous and semi-autonomous operation with advanced multi-role capabilities. As our understanding and implementation of increased autonomy improves, our mobility fleet must also evolve to harness the exciting benefits these technologies offer.

Q: Is there a military market for lighter-than-air or hybrid air vehicles for transport missions?

A: At this time, there is not a clearly defined military market for lighter-than-air (LTA) or hybrid air vehicles for transport missions.

For the past several years, AMC remained engaged with OSD, USTRANSCOM, AFRL, other services and industry to independently assess all hybrid airship technologies and concepts of operations.

While LTA and hybrid airship technologies continue to show promise, the Air Force and AMC have not established formal requirements. Technological and operational challenges continue to exist, indicating LTA/hybrid airships may only marginally contribute to niche-type operational missions.

Q: The bigger airframes garner much of the attention, but you also manage small transport aircraft such as Gulfstreams and Lears.

What is the mission scope of workload for these aircraft annually?

A: Generally, we do not see the fleet expanding in the near future.

The trend points to a smaller-mobility fleet.

The strategic airlift fleet is reducing to 275 (C-5 and C-17) and the tactical airlift fleet is reducing to 328 and possibly to 300 aircraft. The operational support/executive aircraft fleet is also in the process of aircraft reduction. Depending on the timeline of KC-46A deliveries and KC-135 retirements, the MAF tanker aircraft is the only fleet that has potential for mid-term growth from the current 455 fleet to 479 aircraft.

However, AMC, in coordination with the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, is continuously examining the optimal total force structure to ensure our nation meets its global commitments given fiscal realities. That effort not only includes examination of aircraft force structure, but also total force manpower, optimal basing locations and infrastructure.

Q: Would it be an understatement to say that you are looking forward to the arrival of KC-46? What will the platform allow you to do from a cost, readiness and mission completion perspective?

A: Yes, it would be an understatement! The KC-46A is one of the Air Force’s top three acquisition and recapitalization priorities, and represents the first phase of a three-phase effort to recapitalize our aging tanker fleet. As they are delivered, we’ll be able to retire onethird of the current fleet. It will also add new capabilities and energy efficiencies, such as the ability to receive fuel from other tankers and the ability to refuel both receptacle and drogue-equipped receiver aircraft on the same sortie. The KC-46A will also bring with it increased cargo and aeromedical evacuation capabilities, and is expected to produce better mission-capable rates and less maintenance downtime than the KC-135. This is a critical step in maintaining the nation’s global reach for years to come. www.MLF-kmi.com

The need for a viable tanker fleet is clear: our tankers put the Global in Global Vigilance, Global Reach and Global Power, and act as a force multiplier across the full range of global and theater employment scenarios. Joint force commanders have long relied on the effects that air refueling aircraft provide, and the KC-46A Pegasus will ensure that we continue to provide and improve those effects by operating in day, night and adverse weather conditions over vast distances to enable deployment, employment, sustainment and redeployment of U.S. and coalition forces.

Q: What role does AMC have in coordinating with and/or managing the CRAF? A: AMC has primary responsibility for managing the readiness of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). CRAF is comprised of more than 550 commercial aircraft from 24 air carriers and is counted on to provide nearly 90 percent of passenger airlift and nearly 40 percent of cargo airlift services during times of crisis. I can’t imagine what we would have done over the last 14 years without the Civil Reserve Air Fleet and those people who will partner with us in times of trouble and times of quiet.

At this time, the CRAF is not activated; however, the carriers that participate in CRAF actively support DoD mission requirements worldwide on a daily basis. One of the benefits to CRAF carriers for their wartime commitment to the CRAF program is the access to an estimated $3 billion in business opportunities for day-to-day augmentation (e.g., GSA city pairs, multi-modal support, Theater Express, etc.)

Several directorates within AMC are involved in working with the CRAF carriers for day-to-day operations as well as planning for responding to contingency and humanitarian relief efforts. AMC authorities and responsibilities assigned are driven by public law; national, DoD and Air Force policy; and duties and responsibilities assigned by USTRANSCOM. Our AMC Directorate of Operations (AMC/A3) develops, maintains and revises command instructions affecting DoD’s processes for management of civil airlift programs. In addition, they serve as the chairman and executive agent for the DoD Commercial Airlift Review Board to ensure compliance with public law governing safety oversight of commercial air carriers providing charter transportation airlift services. AMC/A3 also maintains a close working relationship as the primary point of contact with the Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards Division, the National Transportation Safety Board, industry trade organizations, and other government agencies on aviation safety and regulatory matters.

The DoD Commercial Airlift Division directly interfaces with commercial air carriers on a daily basis to ensure carrier readiness for responding to crisis and/or CRAF activation. They also conduct annual carrier mobility representative training. This training includes program overviews on chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives ground training, communication security, operational challenges and proper classified material handling requirements.

A new requirement is to conduct CRAF readiness tabletop exercises in coordination with 18th Air Force and 618th Air Operations Center to validate the carrier’s ability to respond to CRAF activation. This may involve an aircraft mishap with passengers onboard, a cyber-attack event or trans-load operation (passenger or cargo) requiring organic and commercial tail integration, etc. www.MLF-kmi.com

These exercises are designed to test the carrier’s ability to integrate into the DoD transportation network seamlessly.

Our logistics personnel within AMC Directorate of Logistics (A4) oversee a carrier’s passenger and cargo manifesting processes and procedures for handling of hazardous material, passenger screening requirements, and management of AMC-controlled aerial ports to promote effective and efficient commercial air operations. Members of AMC/A4 have also played a key role in integrating industry and sister service requirements supporting passenger movements at nonAMC-controlled aerial ports. AMC/A4 continues to work closely with industry to enhance processes and procedures to elevate the safety and security of contracted airlift.

Q: Just recently, you made the decision to cancel the Air Mobility Command Rodeo scheduled for August. The last rodeo was in 2011; what do the airmen gain from a rodeo and is it something that has to be compensated for throughout the year if there is no rodeo event?

A: Rodeo is a prime relationship-building opportunity for AMC, along with other services and our international partners, to share our knowledge of air mobility operations and learn from each other.

We’re strengthening, expanding and shaping relationships that will pay big dividends in the numerous contingencies and humanitarian relief operations we are involved in daily around the world. Crews are afforded the opportunity to exercise tactics, techniques and procedures that assure interoperability with our international partners and improve worldwide mobility operations.

Rodeo is not the only event that affords us this opportunity.

Mobility airmen regularly participate in combined training exercises with international partners all over the world. These events allow us to directly engage with partner nations in an operational setting, enabling an open exchange of dialogue and ideas, ultimately enhancing mutual knowledge of aeromedical evacuation, airlift, airdrop and air refueling operations.

Q: Any closing thoughts on the mission, men and women of AMC? A: I couldn’t be more proud of the men and women of AMC. Mobility airmen are constantly supporting crises, contingencies and humanitarian events on a moment’s notice. The dedication of this unrivaled Total Force team inspires me daily. I challenged all of our airmen to lead boldly and make a difference, and they’ve surpassed every expectation.

Our mobility enterprise supported combat operations across Southwest Asia while providing humanitarian relief to those trapped on Mount Sinjar in Iraq and most recently to the citizens of Nepal.

Our capabilities have been vital in the fight against ISIL in Operation Inherent Resolve. It was the Total Force mobility effort that brought home our fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and Coast Guardsmen from Operation Enduring Freedom while simultaneously delivering medical teams and supplies to stop the spread of Ebola.

Our fellow airmen, our joint force, our international partners and our nation know they can count on AMC’s unrivaled airmen to be there whenever and wherever they are needed.

Whether active duty, reserve, guard or civilian, we meet any needs in any part of the world, often with little or no notice. We innovate and get the job done. That’s what airmen do. That’s what we’ve always done. And we’re continuing a proud legacy of dedicated airmen who conduct mobility operations. O MLF 9.7 | 15

SPECIAL SPECIAL SECTION SECTION

Aerial Refueling Systems Advisory Group International brings together the

global aerial refueling community.

By John B. Sams Jr., Lieutenant General, USAF, Ret. the normal nine from the west coast of the United States. Simultaneously, a flow of numerous KC-46As, flying non-stop from the United States supporting an AEF movement eastbound, are refueled by a continuous surge of Italian KC-767s, flying out of Italy, to support the non-stop deployment of fighter and tanker aircraft to the Middle East. The three tanker types, produced in different eras by different manufacturers from different nations, are fully compatible. The same is true for the fighter aircraft.

While the booms can be different in size and shape, the boom diameter, nozzles and receptacles are all built to common sets of specifications that are examined and shaped at ARSAG. The ARSAG is an open forum for addressing aerial refueling issues with same is true for probe/drogue refueling, experts in their aerial refueling fields: commonly used by the U.S. Navy, special operations and allied aircraft. These • Operational and training procedures standards and specifications, along with • New aerial refueling concepts guidance documents and recommended • Lessons learned technical requirements, are developed and • New technology exploration and development updated by ARSAG International, and have • Standardization recommendations resulted in the technical interface and oper• Guidance documents for aerial refueling boom/receptacle and probe/ ational interoperability we enjoy today. At drogue tanker and receiver aircraft ARSAG, offload rates and delivery pressure

Somewhere near the Straits of Malacca, south of Malaysia, in the not-too-distant future, six B-52Hs on non-stop deployment from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, slowly close the rendezvous for aerial refueling with the six KC10A tankers deployed from Travis AFB to Guam to support the last leg of their journey.

Little do the bomber crews realize their KC-10s have recently completed their own receiver air refueling from four RAAF KC30s, enabling the USAF to deploy only the six KC-10s, rather than

16 | MLF 9.7

www.MLF-kmi.com

regulation are analyzed and standardized to ensure a compatible interface. The aircrew procedures for all the receivers and tankers, straight from ARSAG’s latest revision of ATP-56 (now NATO document 3.3.4.2), ensure all aircrews understand and expect the same procedures, radio calls, emergency procedures and formations.

This scenario is possible today with one exception: the clearances between nations to certify aerial refueling between the different types of interoperable aircraft from different countries are yet to be formally set in place. The processes, procedures, specifications and hardware must be compatible.

ARSAG is doing its part in making certifications possible with the completion of an ARSAG document sent to NATO for adoption that sets the standards for international B-52H refueling. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force] certification of receivers behind tankers.

This new draft NATO document is now out ARSAG WORKING GROUPS to the NATO nations for ratification.

What has made this interoperability 1. Boom/Receptacle Components & Verification Methods and standardization possible? Teamwork 2. Probe/Drogue Components & Verification Methods seldom experienced in our modern world.

3. Formation Aids, Markings and Lighting Four to six times a year, engineers from 4. Maintenance and Ground Support Equipment industry (major manufacturers, engine 5. Clearance Processes and Procedures manufacturers and suppliers), tanker and 6. Automated Aerial Refueling receiver crews and maintainers from more 7. Systems Requirements & Verification Methods than 20 nations and representatives from USTRANSCOM, AMC, AFLC/AFLCMC and international/treaty organizations meet in assignment and final review of the vast array of key documents for working groups to solve problems and standardize the processes the international aerial refueling community. Standardization and and equipment necessary to enhance the safety and reliability of interoperability for all systems and all participants demand that the aerial refueling enterprise. It may be the only place you see degree of international cooperation. It works!

Boeing, Airbus and system hardware engineers working side by ARSAG workshops/JSB meetings are held three times during side with military technical experts to ensure the products they the year. They offer members of the aerial refueling community produce work for the allied warfighters. This entire enterprise is opportunities to pool their expertise and make their voices heard the sole function and focus of ARSAG International. Under the in seven dedicated concurrent working group sessions. guidance of its 17-member international board of directors from Citing the accomplishments of the ARSAG Workshop/JSB, industry and retired military members, this nonprofit entity serves Dexter Kalt said, “The workshop leaders and participants include as the U.S. Joint Standardization Board chartered by the U.S. aerospace engineers and operators from industry Department of Defense for all matters pertaining to and military organizations worldwide—the best aerial refueling systems. assemblage of technical expertise and practical Once per year, normally in April, the entire experience to work on ARSAG’s aerial refueling forum meets for the ARSAG International Annual documents. These documents not only impact curMeeting, where all gather to review the year’s work, rent aerial refueling operations, but also ensure hear from industry and military leaders and chart that mistakes of the past are avoided and that future the goals for the next year’s activities. Under the operations benefit from their guidance.” expert leadership of Dexter Kalt, the ARSAG executive director and founder, the working groups brief their progress and chart their path forward. With Aerial Refueling Clearances Challenge engaging participation from more than 20 nations Today’s Allies and Coalitions General Paul J. Selva, and international organizations such as NATO/ USAF, then commander, USTRANSCOM, delivered JAPCC, EDA, EATC and MCCE, the annual meetWhile interoperability and standardization have the keynote address at ing is a clear indicator that ARSAG International is made tremendous strides in recent years, internaARSAG ’15 on April 14 in San Antonio. the only official forum for the coordination, work tional expansion of the aerial refueling community www.MLF-kmi.com

MLF 9.7 | 17

SPECIAL SPECIALSECTION SECTION provides an escalation in opportunity for the future. Although the art of aerial refueling has been with us for almost 100 years, it is no longer a U.S.-only capability; coalition operations offer their own challenges.

The U.S. and international aerial refueling community is still learning to implement standardized procedures ensuring technical and operational compatibility, minimize crew training/currency, minimize maintenance and streamline fiscal/legal arrangements between tanker and receiver operators.

ARSAG International identified this shortfall in orderly aerial refueling clearance procedures and began addressing the issue. ARSAG launched the effort for standardizing the aerial refueling request initiation process, defining key minimum F/A-18 Hornets await refueling. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy] aerial refueling interface data and ensuring a coordinated overall aerial refueling clearance process. ARSAG holds a unique position. It has developed the mechanism, the Standardized Technical Data Survey (STDS), to collect the vital interface data that are necessary to demonstrate aerial refueling compatibility and complete the clearance process.

Tom Swiderek, ARSAG Lead, Clearance Processes and Procedures Working Group, completed the Aerial Refueling Clearance Process Guide and its accompanying Aerial Refueling Tanker/Receiver Clearance Compatibility Assessment Checklist, which now are in NATO coordination. Swiderek explained: “We have more than one hundred individuals from around the world participate in the development of these documents. A think tank of two or three A CV-22 Osprey refuels from a MC-130J. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force] individuals could have written excellent documents on these subjects, but the challenge would have group meetings allow the groups to complete their vital projects been to get all the key players around the world to agree. So we more quickly. brought in the key players!” He went on to say, “In a multinational The nature of aerial refueling, two aircraft connecting in flight environment, there needs to be a judicious blend of compromise and becoming one system, demands the need for communication, when developing recommendations for multi-national standards, exchanges of information and cooperation as we move deeper and ARSAG is the perfect forum.” This is a giant step forward, and into the world of coalition operations. With many nations now many nations are already using drafts of this document, awaiting procuring their own tanker aircraft from several manufacturers, final approval. the opportunities to expand capability and husband resources demand that ARSAG International continue to provide the forum for interoperability and standardization. O ARSAG International into the Future Chartered more than 37 years ago, ARSAG has evolved from a Strategic Air Command entity to the realities of today’s military and industry work environments. Streamlined meetings are supplemented by newsletters, bulletins and the ARSAG International website, www.arsaginc.com, as means of exchanging aerial refueling information. Teleconferences and webinars between working 18 | MLF 9.7

John B. Sams Jr., Lieutenant General, USAF, Ret., is the ARSAG chairman and chief operating officer.

For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mlf-kmi.com.

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National Industries for the Blind .......................................................... 13 www.nib.org/value

September 14-16, 2015 Air & Space Conference National Harbor, Md. www.afa.org

September 28-30, 2015 NDTA-TRANSCOM Fall Meeting National Harbor, Md. www.ndtahq.com/FallMtg15Home.htm

September 22-24, 2015 Modern Day Marine Quantico, Va. www.marinecorpsexpos.com

October 12-14, 2015 AUSA Washington, D.C. www.ausa.org

Pratt & Whitney .....................................................................................C2 www.pw.utc.com SAIC ........................................................................................................C4 www.saic.com SupplyCore ............................................................................................... 1 www.supplycore.com University of Texas at Dallas ................................................................... 5 www.jindal.utdallas.edu

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MLF 9.7 | 19

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW Military Logistics Forum Paul Rohen Vice President Leidos We also help the Navy protect assets and maintain the flow of retrograde equipment.

Paul Rohen is a Leidos vice president and is responsible for 160 engineers, program managers and technical staff.

Rohen graduated from the Ohio State University in 1982 with a degree in electrical engineering. Rohen started his career with General Dynamics and has spent the last 27 years with Leidos working in various engineering and management roles.

Q: How would you characterize the company’s performance recently, specifically in innovation and efficiency?

Q: What does Leidos bring to the logistics table and how does that pass benefits on to the military?

A: Leidos has a 40-plus year legacy of working with DoD. We offer a wide spectrum of logistics expertise, including supply, maintenance, distribution management, IT, technical data management and TO development. We have logistics tools that streamline work and reduce cost to our customers. For example, our ProVM tool was critical to our ability to integrate modifications and manage the DoD’s fleet of 26,000 MRAPs. Leidos also saved the Army $18 million over two years by improving visibility into the transportation processes of their second destination transportation program. We have a diverse, educated and experienced workforce that includes former military and government personnel, which translates direct benefits to our customers by lowering program execution risks because of our experience base.

Q: How have you evolved to enhance your operations to align with the DoD logistics enterprise?

A: We achieved industry certifications such as ISO9001:2008 and CMMI, and encourage program managers to achieve PMP certification. On a more practical level, we align our management structure to be consistent with the customers we serve. In years past, we had individual divisions supporting each of the United States Air Force (USAF) air logistics complexes. However, to be more consistent with the USAF’s logistics organization, we have now consolidated into one division supporting Tinker, Ogden, Warner Robins and Wright Patterson’s logistics community.

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Q: What are your primary strategic goals for the next 12 months?

A: We strive to add value to our customers by improving efficiencies through process improvement and use of better IT and tools. We recently won the Logistic Commodities and Services Transformation (LCST) contract, which is a large program with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. We were awarded the contract in part because we are able to streamline some of the logistics processes including procurement and distribution of material.

Leveraging this type of innovation and process improvement into our local DoD customer base is critical as we compete for opportunities in the coming months.

Q: What are some examples of how you work with the military?

A: Recently, the USAF completed structural modifications to correct cracking found on 83 of the two-seat F-16Ds. Although the OEM performed the actual repairs, the Leidos F-16 Aircraft Structural Integrity Program engineering and NDI team at Hill AFB had a supporting role in ensuring the repairs were done and the canopy sill longeron solution was inspected properly.

Leidos also provides technicians in the CENTCOM AOR, where we maintain an operational availability of 99 percent for more than 8,000 complex, deployed electronic warfare systems for the USMC. We provide installation and maintenance of critical USAF navigation aids such as ILS and VORTAC and deployable TACANs.

A: I would characterize our performance as very good. Quite frankly, in this market, if you do not innovate and/or become more efficient, you will lose market share and relevance. Whether it’s for a re-compete of existing work or if we are looking at new opportunities, we spend many hours assessing our team composition, the tools we use and our business processes to find ways to better serve our customers while providing value and solid performance.

Q: How important are industry partnerships in meeting your corporate objectives?

A: Industry partnerships are very important.

For example, we look to small business to enhance our offerings and to complement our abilities. We also look to small business to help us penetrate markets in which we could not normally compete (i.e., for SB set aside work). On larger, more complex programs, we reach out to other large primes to complement our strengths and win business.

Q: From the industry perspective, are there improvements you would like to see made that would streamline the contracting process?

A: We work very hard with our customers to gain an understanding of their concerns, problems and issues. Unfortunately, many times, our attempts to provide the best solution for an upcoming acquisition are hampered by restrictions placed on the government technical staff on how they engage with industry once the RFI or sources sought is released. We firmly believe that the interests of the government would best be served by continuing dialogue with industry until the final RFP is released, and following the RFP release, promptly responding to requests for clarification of intent. O rohenp@leidos.com www.MLF-kmi.com

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