Defense Transportation Journal

CROSSING CULTURES & CONTINENTS | COLLABORATION IMPROVES WARFIGHTER SUSTAINMENT

September 2009

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CONTENTS m of Cha th

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FEATURES Crossing Cultures & Continents September 2009

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Vol 65, No. 5

PUBLISHER

The DOD Supply Chain in Afghanistan

9

By Rod Mallette

LTG Ken Wykle, USA (Ret.) EDITOR

Kent N. Gourdin MANAGING EDITOR

Karen Schmitt | karen@ndtahq.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Denny Edwards

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Leah Ashe

Collaboration Improves Warfighter Sustainment

13

Part II of II: Global Distribution Synchronization

By Lt Col Brian Fletcher, Mr. Mike Hansen, CDR Kristen Fabry, LTC Jeff Gulick, and Mr. Phil Tombaugh

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Defense Transportation Journal (ISSN 0011-7625) is published bimonthly by the National Defense Transportation Association, a non-profit research and educational organization; 50 South Pickett Street, Suite 220, Alexandria, VA 223047296, 703-751-5011. Copyright by NDTA. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year (six issues) $35. Two years, $55. Three years, $70. To foreign post offices, $45.

Single copies, $6 plus postage. The DTJ is free to members. For details on membership, visit www.ndtahq.com.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Defense Transportation Journal 50 South Pickett Street, Suite 220 Alexandria, VA 22304-7296

DEPARTMENTS A-35 NEWS | Ms. Lori Leffler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 EDITORIAL | Dr. Kent N. Gourdin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 PRESIDENT’S CORNER | LTG Ken Wykle, USA (Ret.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ASSOCIATION NEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 INDUSTRY NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 GOVERNMENT NEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 HOMELAND SECURITY | Mr. Lee Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 PAGES FUTURE | COL Denny Edwards, USA (Ret.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | Mr. Irv Varkonyi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 HONOR ROLL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 BOOKSHELF IDEAS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

A-35

EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD AND EDITORIAL OBJECTIVES Dr. James M. Daley Dean, Helzberg School of Management, Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO Dr. Kent N. Gourdin Director, Global Logistics and Transportation Program, College of Charleston

Ms. Lori Leffler, CTC, A-35 Chair Global Government Strategic Manager, The Hertz Corporation

Maj Gen John E. Griffith, USAF (Ret.) Transportation Logistics Consultant Richard H. Hinchcliff Consultant Brig Gen Malcolm P. Hooker, USAF (Ret.) Member, Board of Directors, NDTA Dr. Joseph G. Mattingly, Jr. R.H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland Prof. Gary S. Misch, US Naval War College (Ret.) Lt Col Anne T. Peck, USAF (Ret.) Dr. Richard F. Poist, Jr. Professor, Transportation and Logistics, Iowa State University MG Harold I. Small, USA (Ret.) Consultant COL Joseph A. Torsani, Jr., USA (Ret.) Dr. David Vellenga Director, Carl A. Gerstacker Liberal Arts Institute for Professional Management, Professor of Economics and Management, Albion College

EDITORIAL OBJECTIVES The editorial objectives of the Defense Transportation Journal are to advance knowledge and science in defense transportation and the partnership between the commercial transportation industry and the government transporter. DTJ stimulates thought and effort in the areas of defense transportation, logistics, and distribution by providing readers with: •

• • • •

News and information about defense transportation issues New theories or techniques Information on research programs Creative views and syntheses of new concepts Articles in subject areas that have significant current impact on thought and practice in defense transportation • Reports on NDTA Chapters EDITORIAL POLICY The Defense Transportation Journal is designed as a forum for current research, opinion, and identification of trends in defense transportation. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the Editors, the Editorial Review Board, or NDTA. EDITORIAL CONTENT For a DTJ Publication Schedule, Media Kit and Archives, visit /www.ndtahq.com/education_dtj.htm Dr. Kent N. Gourdin, Editor, DTJ Director of the Global Logistics & Transportation Program, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 843-953-5327 • F 843-953-5697 gourdink@email.cofc.edu Ms. Karen Schmitt, Managing Editor, DTJ NDTA 50 South Pickett Street, Suite 220 Alexandria, VA 22304-7296 703-751-5011 • F 703-823-8761 karen@ndtahq.com

4 |

Defense Transportation Journal

Mentorship

|

T

he NDTA A-35 program remains strong with chapters throughout the country. Recently the Scott-St. Louis NDTA Chapter A-35ers participated in the AFCEA/NDTA Tech Net conference by holding a mentoring session. It was attended by corporate, military, and student members and had participation by Senior NDTA leaders including LTG Ken Wykle (Ret.) and Fran Vollaro, Senior VP, Relocation Services, The Pasha Group.

Both LTG Wykle and Ms. Vollaro shared life experiences and insight to assist protégés in their personal and professional development. I suggest to anyone who reads this article, whether you are an A-35er at age or at heart, ask LTG Wykle to explain C4 and ask Fran about her amazing career.

I continually marvel at the wisdom shared in all of our mentoring sessions!

As I reflect back to the mentoring I have received over the years, I remember LTG Edward Honor, among others, who endorsed me as the NDTA representative on the GSA Per Diem Advisory Council.

With LTG Honor’s support, I had the opportunity to chair this Federal Advisory Council, which made a positive impact on the per diem program and government hotel programs, as well as my career. I, among many others in NDTA, am proof that mentoring works!

Those of us who have been mentored need to remember to pay tribute to our mentors and those who have come before us. On a recent visit to US TRANSCOM Headquarters, I had the opportunity to visit the Command Conference Room named after LTG Honor and was very impressed with the dedication to this great man. He truly deserved it. Think about how you can thank and pay tribute to those who have assisted you.

Our A-35 program also continues to prove that A-35ers have valuable information to share, and this is demonstrated annually in the Young Leaders Session during

SEPTEMBER 2009

the Forum. Be sure to check out the professional session “From the Front – Young Leaders in the AOR” to hear from A-35ers about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Back by popular demand, this session will be held twice this year so everyone will have the opportunity to attend.

Our A-35 program also continues to prove that A-35ers have valuable information to share, and this is demonstrated annually in the Young Leaders Session during the Forum.

Also, be on the lookout for A-35ers who are vital to Forum success including the A-35ers who will be escorting VIPs at the Chairman’s Dinner and selling Ducks!

Please remember to support our annual scholarship event. You or someone close to you could be the next recipient of an NDTA scholarship.

The annual A-35 meeting at NDTA forum will be held on Monday, September 21, prior to the opening ceremony at 7am.

Check program for room information.

As we look to continue enhancing the A-35 program, I am excited to announce that the A-35 National Committee will be working with SDDC to bring the program on as an official part of the SDDC Symposium. Look for future details in both this column and SDDC Symposium information and plan to attend in Atlanta, March 8-11, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

Last, but certainly not least, I and my A-35 peers would like to welcome Cardinal Transport, Inc., our newest corporate member, whose President and Vice President are both A-35ers. We look forward to working with the folks at Cardinal Transport, Inc., and all of our new NDTA members. DTJ

EDITORIAL 63rd Annual NDTA Forum & Expo Dr. Kent N. Gourdin, Editor DTJ Director, Global Logistics and Transportation Program College of Charleston

I

f you are reading this at the Forum in Nashville: Welcome! We’re glad you could join us. This year’s theme, The Rhythm of Change, is very timely. Who among us has not been touched, both professionally and personally, by the economic downturn that has plagued us now for more than a year? Indeed, at many levels, things do not seem to be improving. Business remains stagnant, so companies continue to fail, throwing more people out of work and adversely affecting the transportation industry. Ocean carriers are moving fewer containers, so port activity is down as well. Railroads and trucking companies are suffering too, both from reduced

freight levels and high fuel prices. On the passenger side, airlines continue to reduce service in the face of falling demand, which ripples through to the hospitality and travel industries in general. Sadly, an industry colleague who owns multiple waterfront businesses here in Charleston recently told me that the only currently profitable sector for him was the military.

I realized after talking with him, however, that he was really articulating (without knowing it) what the Defense Transportation System (DTS) is all about: mutual support to fulfill the needs of both the Department of Defense (DOD) and the commercial sector. If you look through

SavingS For government employeeS

the topics being presented in this year’s panel sessions, you’ll see subjects such as FAR Based Contracting, Small Business Development, and The Changing Face of Defense Travel, all issues of direct interest to our for-profit partners. The Forum is absolutely the best venue for managers to remain current in these uncertain times and to position their companies for future success once the inevitable improvement in the economy occurs.

Another aspect of the Forum is the chance to learn about what’s happening on the military side. Presentations on such current topics as The New Silk Road, AFRICOM’s Adaptive Logistics Network, and Post-Iraq Retrograde, keep all of us (active duty, civilian, and retired) up to date on the defense side of the DTS partnership. I tend to enjoy these sessions the most. I realized about this time last continued on page 64

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PRESIDENT’S CORNER Lend your VOICE at the NDTA Forum & Expo in Nashville LTG Ken Wykle, USA (Ret.) NDTA President

W

elcome to Nashville! We recognize the difficult economic conditions and the commitment you make to NDTA by attending the 63rd Annual Forum—Thank You. We have another exciting and professionally rewarding program planned.

The professional program consists of senior military and industry speakers. We have a record number of breakout sessions addressing topics requested by you—our members. I encourage you to participate and lend your voice to the discussions.

We have two excellent off-site professional tours scheduled—the Dell Fulfillment Center and the UPS Materials Distribution Center. Both provide excellent opportunities to learn more about commercial best practices. The exposition provides a great opportunity for attendees to meet industry representatives, learn about their products and services, and build relationships. For industry, it is an opportunity to promote their products and services. We have adjusted the schedule to provide longer breaks for more networking and have evening networking events plus our annual Chairman’s Awards dinner.

Congratulations to the many award winners that will be recognized during the Forum—Mr. Tom Crowley, Chairman, CEO & President of Crowley Maritime Corporation; Mr Richard (Rick) Haynes, Executive Director of Military Sealift Command; and Mr Joe Torsani, Business Development Advisor with XIO Strategies, Inc. Also, we will recognize the outstanding transportation units from each Service, our Corporate Distinguished Service Members, and many chapter winners. Please add your personal congratulations as you meet and talk to these outstanding leaders during the conference.

I encourage you to read the feature articles in this issue—especially “Crossing Cultures and Continents: The DOD Supply Chain

in Afghanistan.” This is a significant logistics achievement involving commercial transportation/logistics companies that are NDTA corporate members, achieved through the diplomatic efforts of the USTRANSCOM and US State Department. “Collaboration Improves Warfighter Sustainment Part II: Global Distribution Synchronization” follows up on the importance of collaboration.

“Food on the Move” shares a story about supplying the DC Capital Food Bank. Jeff Campbell, our on-the-scene reporter, had a chance to ride along with FedEx as they provided much needed transportation support to this government-wide initiative. And thanks to ODIN Technologies, Michelin, and Savi Technology for bringing us the latest information concerning RFID Technology.

The last year has been challenging and rewarding. I have had the opportunity to travel and visit many of you at Chapter functions, the Tech Net Conference co-hosted by our Scott-St. Louis Chapter and AFCEA, and the SDDC Training Symposium. Our chapters have hosted professional events to educate and inform chapter members, contributed to charities and community events, and provided scholarships to deserving students— collectively more than $100,000. Thank you for your commitment to NDTA and your communities. The year has also challenged NDTA Headquarters and our corporate members. The current economic conditions have impacted everyone and resulted in restructuring, modified business plans, reduced revenue, and revised forecasts.

As a direct result of the current economic environment, the NDTA Board asked me to review the plan to hold the 2010 Forum in Anchorage, Alaska. The Headquarters staff conducted a complete review and analysis of the location. We surveyed the corporate exhibitors and members for their insights, considered the physical location of the majority of past Forum attendees, the geographical lo-

cations of our corporate members, the additional time out of the office due to travel distance, time zones, and airline schedules, and we have analyzed the costs for hotel, travel, availability of per-diem rooms, tax rates, service charges, and several other factors. The board was briefed at the June meeting and decided to reschedule the Alaska Forum to 2012 and to seek a location on the East Coast for 2010. As I write this article, the two leading locations for the 2010 Forum are Washington, DC, and Orlando FL. Each has specific advantages. We will complete an analysis and intend to have a decision to announce by the time we meet in September.

Overall, NDTA had a good year. NDTA is the Association for Global Logistics and Transportation. This is evident by the broad reach of our members—in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East you contribute to our economy and National Security every day. Our achievements are a direct result of your involvement and commitment.

To each of you, our award winners, program participants, board members, chapter leaders, volunteers, and individual and corporate members, THANK YOU for your great support and commitment to NDTA. Thank you for your confidence in the Association and for the contributions each of you makes to ensure our success. DTJ

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CULTURES & CONTINENTS

By Rod Mallette, Global Account Manager – Distribution Solutions, Agility Defense & Government Services

G

en. Duncan McNabb, USAF, the commander of US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), likes to quote Alexander the Great when he talks about the effort to supply US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. His remarks usually bring nervous laughter from logisticians in the audience.

Alexander was the first combatant commander to master the supply chain. He saw logistics as inseparable from strategy, and he plotted the two in concert. As a result, his army swept from Macedonia and the Eastern Mediterranean into modern day Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and on through Afghanistan in four short years.

The efforts this spring by TRANSCOM and its commercial partners to build new supply lines into Afghanistan are no less impressive.

The need for new supply routes became increasingly clear last fall. Security along the two existing ground routes from Karachi, Pakistan, deteriorated as militants attacked convoys, terminals, and staging areas. Attacks in the Khyber Pass, the conduit for up to 75% of the non-lethal cargo for US troops, forced closure of the pass on several occasions.

“ My logisticians are a humorless lot . . . they know if my campaign fails, they are the first ones I will slay.”

— Alexander the Great President Obama’s decision to add 21,000 more US troops to the theater signaled the coming of a dramatic increase in the flow of goods to Afghanistan. Not long afterward, Taliban militants began to threaten the Pakistani heartland with attacks that forced Pakistan’s army to mount an offensive.

The urgency of the situation was driven home in February, when Gen. John Craddock, the American who is supreme allied commander of NATO, went so far as to suggest that individual NATO countries might consider bilateral talks with Tehran about trans-shipment through Iran.

The Pentagon responded by turning to commercial carriers for alternatives that would spread cargo volume and avoid potential chokepoints in Pakistan.

TRANSCOM demanded routes that would allow delivery of cargo from the continental US (CONUS) or Europe to a final destination in Afghanistan in 30 to 45 days. It required carriers to have up to six container trans-load points in Afghanistan and the capacity to move “retrograde” items back to Europe or CONUS in empty containers.

Security—from beginning to end—was another requirement, along with technology that would supply real-time in-transit visibility to ensure that cargo losses remained below 1%.

Any alternative supply lines had to be able to handle sudden surges of cargo volume to accommodate the needs of a beefed up force.

Today, TRANSCOM’s new Northern Distribution Network has two primary routes. One originates on the Black Sea in Poti, Georgia, moving through Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The other starts on the Baltic in Riga, Latvia, and moves south through Russia and into Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The quick stand up of the new routes would not have been possible unless TRANSCOM was willing to partner with commercial carriers. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, carriers have built networks of offices and local agents in Russia, the Caucasus region, and Central Asia.

We know how to clear customs, where to buy fuel, who to partner with, and what it takes to work with port and rail authorities. We’ve got relationships with government officials and assets in the form of trucks, warehouses, and employees.

There are still challenges to be addressed. Major General James L. Hodge, commander of the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, said recently that convoy entry at forward operating bases inside Afghanistan is not as smooth as it could be. He also cited the need for more rough-terrain container-handling equipment in the country.

Even so, goods have begun to flow. And despite the spread of fighting inside Pakistan, commercial logistics providers there have taken steps to protect themselves from future attacks by changing routes, hardening holding areas, and adding security.

Of course, the threat to supply lines in Pakistan would not have been as great in the first place if US forces were permitted in the country to escort convoys; however, www.ndtahq.com | 9

Alexander safely traversed lands where other armies fell to starvation and dehydration because he built an efficient supply chain that was meticulous in provisioning. He synchronized the movement of his forces with harvest dates, geographic challenges, and weather patterns.

the region’s historic rivalries—and friction mies, as are Armenia and Turkey. Relations between some countries and the United between the United States and the counStates—have presented obstacles. tries of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have Moscow indicated its willingness to albeen frosty because of US criticism over low commercial goods to transit Russia, political repression and human rights. but historic mistrust between the United There are non-political hurdles as well, States and Russia has kept the Pentagon the most significant being infrastructure. wary and insistent on other alternatives.

Any sudden increase in cargo strains Georgia’s Black Sea port at Poti is a natroads, rails, ports, customs, warehousing, ural point of origination, but Russia and and other capacity in the Caucasus and Georgia fought a brief war last year, and Central Asian countries. relations between the two remain tense.

Too little volume is a problem, too.

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Defense Transportation Journal

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SEPTEMBER 2009

riers can’t secure dedicated trains and other assets required to make timely deliveries on predictable timetables. In most countries, it takes at least 40 containers to obtain a “blocked” train and a firm schedule.

The cheaper segments of the journey aren’t without their own hassles. Moving containers from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea by ferry up the River Don is faster and less expensive than transferring them to trucks or trains in Azerbaijan.

The realities of the Russian winter, however, mean that the Don is navigable only part of the year.

The search for new paths into Afghanistan has included exploration of eastern routes originating in China or traversing Siberia from the Russian Far East. Those lanes also present problems.

The genius of Alexander the Great in 330 BC was to rely on a combination of local resources and supplies brought to him by his fleet. He knew that he could not move his army on local resources alone, just as he knew that supply convoys coming overland from the rear could not survive without consuming all that they intended to carry to him.

Alexander safely traversed lands where other armies fell to starvation and dehydration because he built an efficient supply chain that was meticulous in provisioning. He synchronized the movement of his forces with harvest dates, geographic challenges, and weather patterns. He sent forward observers to map roads and moved troops in parallel with major rivers. His forces advanced in stages, often after forming alliances with locals and using them to build garrisons.

He ordered double-time marches to conserve provisions.

Using some of those same lessons, TRANSCOM leveraged local sourcing, regional understanding, and commercial know-how to build multiple lanes into Afghanistan as violence in Pakistan began to disrupt movement of supplies. DTJ Agility Defense & Government Services is one of the commercial logistics providers working with TRANSCOM to build alternative supply routes into Afghanistan and to improve existing routes. Rodney Mallette is Global Account Manager – Distribution Solutions for the company.

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Part II of II: Global Distribution SYNCHRONIZATION This is Part II of a two-part series describing how collaboration improves the performance of the Department of Defense (DOD) distribution network that sustains the Warfighter. Part I introduced the enterprise metrics framework, which was instrumental in measuring the global distribution system, and provided examples of focused initiatives that improved performance. Part II will shift to the application of the lessons learned from these initiatives into a global performance-improvement effort called Distribution Process Owner (DPO) Strategic Opportunities (DSO). This article will describe the framework for measuring distribution performance based on the Supply-Chain Operations Reference-model SCOR® and the five DSO opportunities to improve distribution performance by 25% and reduce supply chain costs by $500 million annually by 2012.

I

n its role as the DPO, the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) coordinates and synchronizes the activities of supply chain stakeholders in support of the warfighter.

As a part of its global efforts, the DPO commissioned DSO: an effort to identify five opportunities that can dramatically reduce costs within the DOD supply chain while simultaneously improving performance. These opportunities are (1) Process Improvement, (2) Strategic Surface Optimization, (3) Strategic Air Optimization, (4) Supply Alignment, and (5) Strategic Network Optimization. The DSO Team is comprises experienced supply chain and process improvement subject matter experts from USTRANSCOM, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), General Services Administration (GSA), Military Surface Deployment Distribution Command (SDDC), and Air Mobility Command

(AMC) and includes regular inputs from the Services and Combatant Commands (COCOMs). Through teamwork, common metrics based upon SCOR®, and a shared vision, the DSO Team is uniquely positioned to achieve unprecedented improvements in enterprise performance.

SCOR® Model Background. The SCOR® model is widely accepted as a framework that links business processes, metrics, and best practices from the perspective of both the customer and the supply chain. SCOR® is organized around major process categories of Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, and Return. The processes are organized into hierarchies of four levels: Level 1 is the enterprise, Level 2 is the major process category, and Levels 3 and 4 include the process flows and tasks where improvements are made.

USTRANSCOM, DLA, and GSA share the same SCOR®-based metrics hierarchy for measuring and improving distribution performance. This enables collaboration across different organizations for improvement.

Table 1 – DSO Metrics and Attributes DSO Metric/Attribute

SCOR® Level 1 Metric

Logistics Response Time/Velocity

Order Fulfillment Cycle Time

Total Supply Chain Costs/Efficiency

Supply Chain Management Costs

Supply Chain Attributes and Metrics.

Attributes include the characteristics of an effective and efficient supply chain. The key attributes for DSO are Velocity (right speed and direction) and Efficiency (wise use of resources). Metrics focused on those attributes ensure that the team is measuring the right things and can track progress toward shared objectives. Table 1 shows the DSO metrics and attributes and how they are linked to SCOR®. Metrics will be described in more detail later in this article.

DSO Genesis and Scope. The DSO effort began in the spring of 2008 after implementing the metrics and using the measures to identify and implement tangible improvements on focused initiatives. DPO leadership challenged the team with developing high-impact areas of opportunity on a global scale that can simultaneously improve performance and reduce cost. The DSO scope encompasses the entire DOD sustainment materiel distribution processes organized within the SCOR® framework of Plan and Deliver.

The Plan construct includes distribution network design, such as stock positioning and route planning. The Deliver cycle is the execution of shipping required materiel to the warfighter and includes activities such as materiel handling, shipping, strategic transportation, reception, onward movement, and receipt. The distribution network is illustrated below in Figure 1 – General DOD Wholesale Distribution Process.

Figure 1. General DOD Wholesale Distribution Process

By Lt Col Brian Fletcher, Chief, Distribution Process Improvement Branch, & Mr. Mike Hansen, Project Manager, DPO Strategic Opportunities; CDR Kristen Fabry, Military Lead, DPO Strategic Opportunities; LTC Jeff Gulick, Chief, Metrics Branch, USTRANSCOM Directorate of Strategy, Policy, Programs and Logistics; and Mr. Phil Tombaugh, Director, PRTM Management Consultants, LLC www.ndtahq.com | 13

Based upon the findings from the prior improvement efforts, the five key improvement areas are: • • • • •

Figure 3. Consolidation and Deconsolidation

Process Improvement Strategic Surface Optimization Strategic Air Optimization Supply Alignment Strategic Network Optimization

The following section of this article provides an overview of each of these improvement areas.

DESCRIPTION OF OPPORTUNITIES Process Improvement. Process Improvement removes “white space”—unnecessary slack time—from distribution processes and rapidly deploys those improved processes across the supply chain (Figure 2). White space often occurs at handoffs between process owners where materiel sits waiting for the next process.

By improving coordination at these handoffs, the delays can be minimized or even eliminated, improving the materiel Velocity to the warfighter. In these activities, the key is to coordinate process improvement across the enterprise to ensure enterprise improvement versus local optimization.

Strategic Surface Optimization. By increasing container utilization and appropriately shifting cargo from 20-foot containers to 40-foot containers, the DOD can reduce supply chain costs while improving

Figure 4. Supply Alignment

are reduced. Total velocity is improved because the container consolidation times are reduced from the previous method of shipping “pure” containers to each customer.

This initiative requires a coordinated effort with DLA, GSA, USTRANSCOM, the Services, and the COCOMs to identify the appropriate destinations and to implement the shipping and consolidation/deconsolidation around the globe.

Strategic Airlift Optimization. Utilizing the full array of airlift services, the DOD can better match capacity with demand, increasing airlift utilization and reducing total supply chain cost. These improvements are attainable by accomplishing the following two goals: (1) align

Figure 2. Reducing Whitespace in the Supply Chain

performance. As shown in Figure 3, Strategic Surface Optimization improves Velocity and reduces costs by consolidating cargo in Continental US (CONUS) for low- to medium-volume customers into wellutilized 40-foot containers. The containers are then deconsolidated Outside Continental US (OCONUS) and delivered in the appropriate 20-foot or 40-foot container. By packing the same or greater number of items in fewer containers, costs 14 |

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air transport services with demand and (2) optimize aircraft utilization.

• Align air transport services with demand—The DOD has a number of airlift services at their disposal— “channel” flights operated by USTRANSCOM and Air Mobility Command (AMC), commercial “tender” service where full pallets are transported by commercial carriers, and parcel

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service. Based on operational requirements and the amount of traffic bound for a specific destination, one service may provide a substantial cost and/ or service advantage over another. By implementing processes that select the optimal service for each shipment, the DOD can simultaneously reduce costs and improve customer service levels.

• Optimize aircraft utilization—By improving consolidation and routing processes, the DOD can improve round-trip aircraft utilization and pallet utilization and, by extension, reduce the number of flights required to provide service to customers—resulting improved supply chain efficiency.

Supply Alignment. Supply Alignment focuses on the use of properly configured forward inventories to minimize distribution costs and maximize service levels. As shown in Figure 4, the basic premise of Supply Alignment is stocking appropriate items forward in the optimal quantity to reduce the use of high cost over-ocean airlift and provide stocks at increased service levels to the customer. This effort also requires an enterprise view and significant coordination across USTRANSCOM, DLA, GSA, and the Services to balance the inventory and transportation costs.

Strategic Network Optimization.

Strategic Network Optimization continually determines the optimal location of key distribution nodes (eg, inventory locations, sources of supply, consolidation & deconsolidation locations, and transportation hubs & ports), provides a high-level

design of distribution lanes and routes, and identifies the high-level function and capacity of the nodes. This initiative requires enterprise optimization and coordination across supply chain partners.

Measuring Progress Toward Objectives. DSO ensures enterprise optimization by aligning all organizations to the SCOR®-based metrics framework, which focuses on measuring supply chain performance characteristics most critical to the warfighter.

• Logistics Response Time (LRT) measures enterprise Velocity and the performance of the underlying processes.

Total Supply Chain Cost measures Efficiency by integrating inventory receiving, handling, shipping, consolidation, transportation, and deconsolidation costs at the enterprise level.

• Metrics fit a clear and purposeful hierarchy. A hierarchy of measures from SCOR® Level 1-4 spotlights the key drivers of enterprise performance, which fixes responsibility to drive tangible improvements at enterprise level.

Figure 5. Strategic Network Optimization

• Performance standards are negotiated between customers and providers.

• Metrics are appropriately balanced to meet warfighter Velocity needs while reducing supply chain cost.

• Metrics are shared among the partner organizations, which enables collaboration toward shared outcomes.

The principles used in the DSO improvements are universal in nature and based upon leading practices in the DOD and commercial sector. Through the use

of commonly understood SCOR®-based metrics and a shared vision for enterprise improvement, other organizations can use DSO principles by transitioning their supply chains from pursuing local benefits to maintaining global optimization. The DSO team is well on their way to achieving the goals of $500 million in annual cost reductions and 25% improvements in service levels by 2012. We look forward to providing more updates on our progress as we work together to drive improvements to supporting our Nation’s warfighter. DTJ

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RFID SPECIAL SECTION | Sponsored by Savi, A Lockheed Martin Company

FROM THE RFIDEFENSE EDITOR I’m very proud to be the editor of this month’s special section on RFID. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to read it. I’ve written two books on the subject and hold several RFID patents, but there are few things as exciting as seeing how much the technology has changed over the past three years and seeing first-hand the great impact it’s starting to have on the military.

I’m also a pilot, and it amazes me that less than ten years after the first manned flight, Americans used planes for combat, work, and entertainment. Now, just a century later, we’ve gone several times the speed of sound and flown out of our own atmosphere. Orville and Wilbur would have never guessed.

When I set up my first RFID reader in 2002 and tried to make heads or tails of it (unsuccessfully), I didn’t imagine the way it affects our world today. Honestly, my expectation was that we’d know who stole a razor blade and where all the Huggies were. Funny how a few years on the front lines changed my vantage point. RFID is protecting lives, securing citizens, and saving billions of dollars world-wide.

Forget about what you might have heard in the past about RFID and let DTJ bring you the most up to date information. This special RFID supplement of DTJ focuses on critical technology advances and introduces the next generation of the technology, what I refer to as RFID 2.0. It is the foundation for Maneuver Logistics. This is the logisticians’ capabilities that enable more rapid and flexible support to asymmetric and maneuver warfare requirements. This will be the version of the technology that lives up to the hype of six years ago. We’ve put together some great experts and tried to inform as well as entertain as we tell the story of RFID 2.0.

I welcome your thoughts and look forward to a dialogue at the annual NDTA Forum. Feel free to contact me or any of the other authors and give your thoughts or comments. We all sincerely believe that this technology will have even more amazing future benefits for the warfighter, well beyond the benefits barcodes delivered over the last thirty years. RFID is the technology for the next 50.

Patrick Sweeney Founder and CEO, ODIN Technologies

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SEPTEMBER 2009

Maneuver Warfare Demands Maneuver Logistics Based on a Foundation of RFID 2.0

By Patrick Sweeney Founder & CEO, ODIN Technologies

S

EAL Team Five’s Bravo Commander Lt. Ludwig slid off his NVGs and checked his watch and silently signaled the rest of the team to cast out and shape a perimeter operation for decisive action. The SEAL Team’s “sneak and peak” in the Anbar province was designed to support a Marine operation the next morning. But as with most SEAL Operations, this one was anything but routine.

The SEALs went in light and fast. The team dispersed to three operating positions when the silence was shattered by the unmistakable rat-tat-tat of small arms fire. Almost instantly it mushroomed into a barrage of heavy fire. Corpsman Decker, the biggest guy in the platoon at 240 pounds without gear, backed through an IED-wired door with a deafening blast; he went down like a heavy bag torn from its hinges. Ludwig consolidated the team as someone yelled “Deck got fragged through his old vest, Medic down!” The SEAL team consolidated to a single defensive position.

Aerial reconnaissance showed bad guys jumping roof to roof toward the SEALs. Lt. Ludwig had to think fast. He grabbed for a flash-bang grenade, the perfect welcome for the fast approaching unfriendlies . . . but it wasn’t there.

“Fennig – Comms!”

Radio Specialist Fennig crawled to Ludwig with comms. Lud had an idea that just might work, but it was risky. He called in a nearby Bradley (infantry fighting vehicle) to take out the second and third stories of the building they were in.

“Everyone get under a door jamb and get down, we’re blowing the roof off this sucka!”

The plan worked and the SEALs bugged out safely. Back at Camp Corregidor they had a major problem. The operation taking place tomorrow was planned against a force one-third the size of what the SEALs uncovered; worse yet, two

US Air Force photo by Jason Minto/Released

other Ops were dependant on this one happening. Thanks to the daring work of Team Five, the base commander had critical information he needed for success, but not the support. The SEAL team was missing critical items, indicative of a team that has done thousands of operations in just a few months. Inventory and replenishment was the last thing on their mind.

Using resources to inventory and verify shipments isn’t a reality in their world.

Captain Shannon leaned over CWO Simpson’s shoulder as he logged onto the NextGen logistics system. They ran down a list of materiel to be allocated to Camp Corregidor in the next 12 hours.

Shannon was, for all intents and purposes, “Googling her stuff.” As Simpson entered critical materiel requirements, containers popped up on the screen’s map showing inventory down to the individual items inside single boxes. They could see boxes of 5.56 rounds, replacement tank tracks, and everything in between. In just minutes they found all the materiel require-

ments and orders sent to overnight ship.

Everything was rerouted to support the operation that successfully squelched the next day’s major insurgency.

Battlefield Agility supported through rear echelon agility—that’s maneuver logistics, and it’s closer than you think.

The US Military is fighting wars with 21st century technology in a more diverse, agile, and faster way than ever before. The DOD is finally laying the infrastructure for logistics to support those same requirements. Maneuver Warfare demands Maneuver Logistics, or the ability to have visibility, agility, and rapid response with every piece of materiel that supports kinetic engagements.

Maneuver logistics must be driven by the latest generation in automatic identification technology (AIT) to be effective. Thirty-five years ago this meant a bar code. Today it means radio frequency identification (RFID).

RFID comes in two forms—batterybased active RFID tags that go on the outside of containers, and tiny passive RFID tags that go on everything else.

The active tags are the size of a Coke can and cost $50 to $75. The passive tags are the size of a stamp and cost less than ten cents. Active RFID—commonly known as Savi Tags—has helped move the DOD logistics execution forward an entire generation. But active is only the tip of the iceberg. Corpsman Decker couldn’t have been helped by an active tag because they are too big for individual items, but if he had a passive tag that could tell him his

Battlefield Agility supported through rear echelon agility— that’s maneuver logistics, and it’s closer than you think. vest was well beyond its useful life before he deployed he might not have spent six weeks in the hospital. Active tags helped find the right containers, but passive tags tell the rest of the story.

For instance, a passive tag can be put on all components used by a SpecOps warrior, and each warrior can walk through a portable portal set up to get a green light if he has all the right gear or a red light www.ndtahq.com | 17

WE FOCUS 100% ON THEIR SUPPLIES, SO THEY CAN FOCUS 100% ON THEIR MISSION.

Warfighters don’t have wants. They have needs. Life and death needs.

They need real-time information on where supplies are and where those supplies need to be. At Savi, a Lockheed Martin Company, that’s what we’re delivering through Total Asset Management. We support the warfighter by deploying Automatic Identification Technology solutions that improve decision-making, situational awareness and operational efficiency worldwide.

Look for the Savi Booth at the NDTA Transportation & Logistics Forum & Expo, September 19 - 23.

Stop by to learn how Savi can help your organization with Total Asset Management and to be entered into a drawing for a free iPod Touch. www.savi.com

Total Asset Management Best Practices For years, AIT (Automatic Identification Technology) such as bar code, UID marking, active and passive RFID, GPS, sensors and SatComm has been helping defense organizations worldwide enhance their asset management capabilities. Total Asset Management is the ultimate goal of these organizations, which operate large, complex supply chains. Organizations hoping to achieve Total Asset Management should realize that AIT is useful as the technology enabler, but that it is the software solution that adds true value.

Automated data collection reduces asset data errors, improves asset visibility and utilization, increases efficiency, cuts labor costs, and enhances operational readiness and decision making.

Asset accountability, including automated inventory checks, is another key benefit of automation, especially as budgets tighten.

In 20 years of working with defense and commercial organizations, Savi® has proven that software-driven AIT solutions are the key to achieving and realizing the full value of Total Asset Management. For example, one aerospace industry MRO (Maintenance Repair & Overhaul) facility recently deployed a Savi solution integrating Savi SmartChain® software with passive RFID-tagged “hot parts” to identify, locate and manage the parts, and deploy them precisely when they were needed in the MRO process. The complete Savi solution achieved the following benefits within six-months: • 100% elimination of lost materials • 67% reduction in manual and dual data entry • 55% reduction in delivery time for expediting mission-critical parts from receiving dock to a specific location in the facility Organizations investing in AIT should focus on measurable metrics like these as well as innovative means for leveraging the full range of AIT technology. As depicted in Figure 1, a key best practice for optimizing AIT investments lies in aligning the right AIT with the right asset type and the right processes.

The recently launched Savi GlobalTag™ is good example of how innovative AIT matched with the right processes can open up new levels of Total Asset Management. Designed to track high value assets indoors or outdoors, on or off the grid, GlobalTag can transmit asset data from nearly anywhere in the world through a built-in Satellite Modem and a GPS receiver. When on site, GlobalTag uses active RFID functionality, saving money on expensive satellite communications.

The Pakistan Network represents another software-driven AIT innovation. Through a hosted Savi SmartChain installation and a network of RFID readers, the Pakistan Network transmits location, security and condition information to the DoD’s In-Transit Visibility Network on shipments moving through major ports, border crossings and supply chain nodes. In its first year, the Pakistan Network tracked over 22,000 containers

destined for Afghanistan. The Pakistan Network represents an innovative means for achieving Total Asset Management on a pay-per-use model.

In summary, Total Asset Management best practices are as follows: • Establish measurable target metrics • Select the right AIT for addressing the visibility gaps • Look to software as the enabler for driving value • Work with an experienced solution provider Through projects with the U.S. DoD, NATO and Allied Nations, Savi has deployed global interoperable RFID tracking networks that locate over 35,000 shipments per day across more than 4,000 nodes in more than 50 countries. This has enabled AIT users to achieve the vision of Total Asset Management both within facilities and throughout the global supply chain.

More Than Just Visibility. Savi.

Savi Solutions provide Total Asset Management enabled through real-time tracking using bar code, UID, RFID, GPS and sensors.

About Savi

Savi Technology provides an integrated suite of complementary Automatic Identification Technology products and solutions that drive business value by reducing supply chain assets, inventory and operational costs for commercial enterprises, defense agencies and other government customers. Founded in 1989, Savi is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], with headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., and offices in London, Melbourne, Singapore, Lexington, Ky., and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.savi.com.

Contact Savi

+1 888 994 SAVI (7284)

+1 650 316 4700

sales@savi.com

if he’s missing something or something is beyond useful life. If he’s missing something or it’s out of spec, an automatic order for replenishment can be sent with no human involvement back to HQ. With such a system, Decker would have been wearing a new vest, and Ludwig wouldn’t

uids. Passive tags can be read in three dimensions inside a warehouse for just pennies an item. And soon specialized RFID middleware will become obsolete as the intelligence sits on the readers and sends data directly to applications like SARRS or GCSSArmy. This is the infrastructure

memory. On page 24 you’ll read about SMART Containers that combine satellite, GPS, and passive RFID technology, completely integrated in under a minute.

Medical divisions are tracking devices with RFID-enabled cabinets. Deployment kits can be run through tunnels to verify con-

RFID 2.0 means knowing about your stuff at the item level, with the click of a mouse. have been missing a flash-bang. The first generation of RFID (1.0) was for retail stores and science projects; the next generation of RFID (2.0) is DOD grade technology.

The passive RFID initiative started in 2003 with the announcement that the DOD was going to follow WalMart and make all their suppliers use tags. Many people will lament that neither initiative was well thought out and ultimately caused RFID to falter. Six years later, the passive infrastructure is spreading like a dust storm across the desert. The more readers that get put in, the more value the system provides. It started with the largest, most successful deployment of passive RFID in history when the DLA stood up dock door portals at every CONUS DDC using the new ISO 18000-6 standard in 2006. This allows today’s DOD to see when new items arrive from suppliers without ever having to take stretch wrap off pallets. A pallet of 50 different items comes through the dock and it updates inventory automatically. Now that same standards-based RFID is spreading to all other military branches.

In the last year there has been a perfect storm in the RFID world that has increased return on investment, provided greater benefit to the warfighter, and increased security across the DOD. When RFID 1.0 came about, everyone in technology jumped on board—then reality set in and people realized the technology had just been brought out of MIT’s lab and wasn’t ready for prime time. The crotchety old loggies who had been using bar codes for thirty years screamed, “I told you so!”

Well, all the investment, research, experimentation, and benchmarking of 2003 to 2006 started to pay off in 2007 and 2008. No longer was the physics a mystery to people. New specialty tags were designed to work on metal or around liq20 |

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needed to support maneuver logistics: intelligence at every point in the supply chain tracking every critical item.

RFID 2.0 is mature, high-performing technology, a stabilized global standard and dramatically reduced costs. With the

In the next ten years, the United States Department of Defense will acquire more RFID readers than computers. passive and active infrastructure coming together, Maneuver Logistics is a real possibility. RFID 2.0 means knowing about your stuff at the item level, with the click of a mouse.

Now that the technology works, the RFID industry is maturing to repeatable, easy-to-deploy solutions. The days of cobbling together custom solutions are fading away as RFID 1.0 melts into a foggy

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tents of duffel bags. Tires will stay compliant by driving over RFID strips giving the driver a red light or green light. All of these applications leverage a common data structure, an international standard, and the guiding strategy that using people to count and verify is not only a waste of precious resources, but not nearly as effective. Maneuver Logistics is enabled by knowing where every item is in real time, and by being able to move it where you need it when you need it in support of the warfighter.

In the next ten years, the United States Department of Defense will acquire more RFID readers than computers. The passive tags will enable items to securely connect to the DOD’s secure cloud, and an “Internet of Things” will provide security, agility, safety, and speed never before possible. Machines will be feeding information to sophisticated support systems, and leaders throughout the military will finally have accurate, real-time information to drive intelligent action. RFID 2.0 is a cornerstone force in that transformation.

From the conclusion of World War II to the early 1980s, the US has spent billions of dollars building up technology.

Then, in 1989, the Commandant of the US Marine Corp officially adopted the principles of Col. John Boyd into a doctrine of Maneuver Warfare—small, agile fighting forces rapidly deployed to fight everyone from rogue dictators to multistate terrorist organizations. Finally, 20 years later, the non-kinetic requirements are receiving the technology investment to catch up with the fighting forces. RFID 2.0 is the foundation for Maneuver Logistics. RFID 2.0 can use machines rather than soldiers to make sure that the United States fighting forces have all the right equipment at the right time, faster than ever before. RFID is truly the future for the DOD. rfid

RFID Where the Rubber Meets the Road, Driven by Global Standards

By Patrick King PhD, Global Electronics Strategist, Michelin

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racking tires has implications on every critical logistics component from safety to cost to speed. The problem with tires is that they’re almost always moving and nothing conventional sticks or stays readable on them for long.

However, usage information is vital, particularly in the commercial and military markets. It is extremely time consuming to identify a tire by wrestling to find its sidewall marking; even worse when it’s the inside tire on a commercial vehicle. What commercial tire users need is technology that does not require line of sight, can be identified quickly and ergonomically, allows for storage of lots of data, can be protectively embedded in the tire, and can

be read without human intervention. The solution: RFID. Tire tracking is a perfect use for the new generation of RFID. Thirty-five-year-old bar code technology just doesn’t do the job that 21st century RFID can. RFID pays for itself with great benefits in maintenance and compliance; however, there needs to be a standard that everyone can agree upon. To further investigate those standards, we need to look at a king, a prince, and a pauper of sorts, all brought together by the unlikeliest of glue.

King Solomon, Ozzy Osbourne (the Prince of Darkness), Charles Dickens (a pauper most of his life), the DOD, and RFID standards somehow all come togeth-

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er when it comes to truck tires both supplied to the military and commercially for business-to-business applications (B2B).

Nearly three thousand years ago, wise King Solomon wrote that there is a time for everything: love/hate, war/peace, building/tearing down. Fast forward 2500 years ,and Dickens wrote that it was the best of times and the worst of times, much like things were with RFID 1.0. In recent years Ozzy Osbourne sang that the road to nowhere leads to him because he’s still looking for the answers.

These three wise men realized life’s cyclic nature, and at least two of them would say that the way to smooth the bumps in the road would be through standards that take out the risk. Thankfully that’s what we have today for tires.

STANDARDS ARE LIKE TRICYCLE TIRES—YOU NEED THREE TO ROLL RFID has three wheels that all need to work together: 1. legal requirements such as FCC compliance standards; 2. communications link standards governed by ISO; and finally, 3. data syntax standards.

Complying only with FCC requirements will keep you out of jail but not much more. Without all three, no interchangeability and interoperability are possible.

Think of RFID like a mobile phone. It may be legal to carry your US iPhone in Germany, but unless it follows communication standards it will not be able to connect to the 3G network (interoperability), and unless the user speaks a common language (like English) there can be no exchange of information (interchangeability).

The Department of Defense has been a world leader in adoption of 2D symbology for part marking and a clear leader in adoption of ISO 18000 series RFID standards. The DOD manages nearly all cargo containers by faithful application of ISO-18000-7 for active RFID as well as adopting and mandating the passive RFID schemes in ISO-18000-6c.

The United States military has heightened the sense of urgency around supply chain logistics. This demands better adherence to standards, and an aggressive adoption of new technology.

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SOLOMON AND PASSIVE RFID (ISO-18000-6C) The cyclic nature of autoidentifaction and the building and tearing down have everything to do with growth. The DOD recognized these facts and worked diligently to support ISO-18000-6c for all three critical aspects of the standard and the alignment with GS1 and EPC to assure maximal interchangeability and interoperability.

Specific to tires, there is the item level standard for AIAG B11 Rev 6 and the later revisions, including one to be released in 2009: AIAG B11 Rev 8, which will pro-

key application for tires, and the next section explains why that is a “worst.” DOD, aviation, and truck applications are beginning to consider broader adoption of TPMS solutions, but without a common standard.

OZZY AND TPMS (TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS) The “road to nowhere” could be the theme for TPMS standards. In 2000, there were as many standards relating to tires for passive RFID as there were for TPMS. Nine years later, there is ONE standard for pas-

These three wise men realized life’s cyclic nature, and at least two of them would say that the way to smooth the bumps in the road would be through standards that take out the risk.

Thankfully that’s what we have today for tires. vide details for programming tags all the way to the bit level to assure interchangeability and interoperability. The B11 also makes key reference to other standards.

To obtain copies of this standard, contact the AIAG at www.aiag.org.

When ISO-18000-6c was published in 2005, much of the world was not aligned.

Several major markets held UHF as illegal or allowed only under severe limits. By 2009, nearly 100% legality, interchangeability, and interoperability had been globally achieved. This stabilization of standards has been a significant catalyst to adoption, as evidenced by all the new production deployments of RFID in 2009.

DICKENS AND ACTIVE RFID (ISO-18000-7) Apart from TPMS (see below) the adoption of ISO-18000-7 has been significant and led by the DOD. Moving us all to a level above the “best and worst of times” is that there is now a global alliance called DASH7 that is working to enhance the adoption of the ISO-18000-7 standard. This includes accepting any required changes to assure broader adoption globally. Since the first Gulf War, the DOD has relied on active RFID, which has recently become compliant with the new ISO-18000-7 standard.

This has helped make the standard more globally accessible. The “worst” is that tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are a

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sive tire RFID, yet more than 14 proprietary solutions for TPMS. The migration to ISO-18000-6c for passive RFID and the conviction to drive data syntax standards has resulted in a single standard for passive RFID on tires.

TPMS relies on the frequencies called out by the ISO-18000 series (namely DASH4 and DASH7), but they do not subscribe to the communications protocol called out by the standard and they have no interchangeability (since they do not use common and standard data syntax). Fortunately the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) is working to address the lack of interchangeability and may be a catalyst to greater standards activities. Some day, TPMS may become more than legal. Interchangeability and interoperability are the next step.

RIDING INTO THE SUNSET OR A SUNRISE FOR RFID IN TIRES Global standards are critical to interchangeability and interoperability. Leadership organizations such as the AIAG can help to provide additional clarity and the B11 item RFID standard is exemplary.

TPMS requires better end-user demands for single standards in order to overcome the clear and present chaos. When all is said and done, anyone who is not monitoring their tires with RFID in five years will undoubtedly not be in line with the state-of-the-art in logistics technology. rfid

SMART Containers—The UAV for Logistics

By Bret Kinsella, ODIN Technologies

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he unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) revolutionized air supremacy and visibility over the battlefield. UAVs provide greater visibility at a lower cost than alternative means. Most importantly, critical airborne tasks are accomplished without highly trained and scarce resources: pilots. Thanks to the DOD’s RFID mandate and 21st century technology, there is now a UAV for logistics.

The old adage “a good man is hard to find” applies to any specialty. Pilots have long been a bottleneck resource that are hard to find and train. By contrast, UAVs are controlled from distant locations away from enemy fire and provide inexpensive and rapidly deployable battlefield reconnaissance and firepower. Removing the human requirement from aerial observation and direct combat reduced cost and increased warfighter safety. The solution was automation.

The US military scans billions of barcodes each year that all have one thing in common: a person doing the scanning. A scarce resource counting manually, one barcode at a time. Recording DOD assets is essential to understanding military readiness, inventory positioning, imminent needs for replenishment, and security of controlled items. But when you assign a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine to count and record inventory, they are not available for other tasks.

Enter the SMART container, using combinations of battery-powered active RFID and passive RFID. It’s a new class of product that allows existing shipping containers to be transformed in just minutes into a powerful visibility tool. It reads passive RFID tags on items and sends that data automatically to the DOD’s ITV servers via Iridium or active RFID. Some containers are also being designed from the ground up to be Smarter, made not of metal but of much lighter composites. Other manufacturers are solving the tough problems of retrograde visibility by enabling one-minute retrofits to existing ISO containers—a real technological breakthrough.

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Automation for logistics, inventory, and asset management can eliminate the need for human intervention to record asset location or changes in custody. Through RFID and automation, a machine—an RFID reader—can capture data automatically.

RFID eliminates manual scanning and actually increases data collection accuracy while reducing time and cost. It tracks inventory location with no human required.

Now SMART Container Retrofits can be deployed in under a minute and can work without a local power source. SMART Containers are like having one soldier outside it telling you where it is and two soldiers inside telling you what’s in there and what’s happened to it. When retired Army General William G.T. Tuttle, former commander of the Army Materiel Command and CEO of LMI, first saw a SMART Container he dubbed it “the UAV for Logistics.”

RECORDING, FINDING, ACCOUNTING, FINDING Over the past two decades, the US military has focused on changing military missions and capability requirements. Mission complexity is increasing, and mission timelines and manpower for logistics and materials management are decreasing. These changes have put greater stress on forward leaning logistics operations. The only way to relieve the logistics stress is by using 21st

SEPTEMBER 2009

century automation technology. This automation is possible because the DOD has standardized on RFID using ISO 18000-6 for passive RFID and ISO 18000-7 for active RFID. The infrastructure for automation is now in place and can be leveraged by accurate inventory data sources like the SMART Container, warehouse portals and forklifts, tables, and other RFID devices such as readers that eliminate a human from manual scanning.

One military unit that is employing a SMART Container has a policy requirement for nightly inventory accounting as they put items back into containers. They do not, however, have the manpower to complete daily mission tasks, then spend 8 to 15 labor hours per container validating

inventory each night. In reality, inventory is only captured every two weeks, assets get lost, and mission capability is reduced.

By leveraging new RFID Container technologies and integrating them with systems like GCSS Army or SUPMIS, soldiers and sailors can put tools away or close a container or truck door and inventory is taken automatically. Replenishment requirements are broadcast out for automated replacement. Construction battalions, expeditionary forces, and SpecOp teams can focus on their missions, not counting tools or weapons at the end of a long day.

An even more common scenario RFIDenabled containers address is the need to find a specific item. For instance a critical repair part, engine turbine, or weapons system is in a supply yard in one of twenty or thirty possible containers. For more than a dozen years, containers, other conveyances, and valuable assets equipped with active RFID have enabled the DOD to

automatically track and manage millions of shipments in near real-time through the In-Transit Visibility network and beyond.

Associating contents inside the conveyance or loading manifest information onto the active RFID tag gives logisticians added in-transit visibility of individual supplies so they can quickly find specific items.

Today, even greater visibility at the item level can be achieved with advances in passive RFID. Visibility of items affixed with

SMART Containers are like having one soldier outside it telling you where it is and two soldiers inside telling you what’s in there and what’s happened to it. passive RFID labels can occur even when those items are disassociated from their container or conveyance and stored on their own in a yard, depot, or staging area.

The active RFID (aRFID) In-transit Visibility (ITV) server says it is in a specific container. In-transit visibility (ITV) exists today through the DOD’s aRFID systems.

When a container is loaded, its contents are recorded and loaded onto a Savi tag on the container. When the aRFID tag is read downstream, the logistician can view the contents and start the allocation or use of the assets. This information can be uploaded to the DOD’s Total Asset Visibility system, enabling the DOD to locate almost any item whether it is inside or outside of a container.

Where ITV can improve is after the containers are opened. “As soon as items are removed, we are back to clipboards,” commented one Marine. The data on the ITV aRFID tag are not always updated with the new container content levels due to the time and effort involved in barcode scanning and manual recording. It is easiest to think of ITV as container tracking whereas TAV is about item locations regardless of what container may have transported them. The new SMART Container solutions provide item level visibility (TAV) and automatically increments or decrements container contents when items move into and out of the container. It fills the gap in ITV visibility, providing true,

tainer with a Self-Inventorying SMART Container unit installed inside. After it was loaded, the doors were closed, and the contents were automatically inventoried with no humans involved. The result: 45 minutes for the barcode approach and 15 minutes for the RFID-enabled SMART Container. A second trial involved a Navy unit conducting a full container inventory during a pilot field exercise. Using barcode and other manual means, the container required nine man hours as opposed to just a couple of minutes with the SMART Container leveraging passive and active technologies—not valuable soldier resources.

It’s no surprise that pRFID is faster than SELF-INVENTORYING SMART barcode, since you can scan hundreds of CONTAINERS VS. BARCODES tags at a time. However, the implications In order for a self-inventorying SMART may surprise you. Faster, more accurate Container to be effective, it must consisinventories provide two immediate bentently read passive and active RFID tags efits for a unit. First, it frees up time that and do it faster and with less human efwarfighters can apply toward mission obfort than other means. Two recent tests jectives instead of administrative logistics provide some results. First, a Trans-Pacific tasks. Second, it improves supply visibilshipment of two 20-foot ISO containers ity and in turn enhances mission readiwere loaded side by side. ness and capability. Like the UAV, RFIDWhen loading containers involving enabled containers eliminate the need for barcode, each case of goods is scanned to humans to collect data, and also like the verify the load contents. Container One UAV, they often provide more detail than followed this practice—each case and palcurrent practices. let was scanned, and pallets were loaded.

Because inventories are cumbersome and Container Two leveraged passive RFID taken infrequently in the field, visibility to on the cases. All of the pallets were loaded supply levels and potential asset shortages HiG-Tek Page ad:Layout 8/7/09are 12:06 PM Automating Page 1 these processes directly into1/4 a standard 20-foot ISO1 condecreased.

real-time TAV achieved through automation. It proves the powerful combination of active and passive RFID technology.

Even as weapons have become increasingly more sophisticated simple tasks remain.

Warfighters must eat, communications must be established, and in-theater assets must be recorded, accounted for, and found.

RFID-enabled SMART Containers automate inventory processes and bring logistics up to the sophistication level of the modern weapons systems they support, thanks to the DOD’s foresight to deploy two global RFID standards and infrastructure for both active and passive RFID technology.

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through RFID enhances visibility and enables quicker notification of supply needs before a critical shortage sidelines a unit.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? As with all things military, names matter. It is important to understand the differences between options for the warfighter. The self-inventorying SMART Container is a retrofit system that recently won “Best in Show” for new RFID product from RFID Journal. It is meant to retrofit any of the DOD’s hundreds of thousands of existing containers in just minutes and send data back over Iridium or aRFID and is available exclusively from ODIN in Ashburn, VA. The new Logistics Innovation Agency funded system is an entirely new composite container system available from ARINC of Annapolis, MD. Further, passive RFID can augment existing “Smart Containers” using active RFID-based security seals, often called e-Seals, which automatically report on the security status of a container and can also provide sensor data on the integrity of its contents. Now that both passive and active RFID have stabilized standards and technology costs have decreased more and more, RFID-enabled container options will be adopted.

MARRYING BATTLEFIELD VISIBILITY TO SUPPLY VISIBILITY Military experts talk about forces in terms of a “tooth to tail” ratio. The tooth is the forward fighting force, and the tail is the rear echelon logisticians. What many people fail to recognize is that logistics and inventory management needs don’t end when materials arrive in theater. Items still need to be issued, returned and accounted for, and new orders must be placed for replenishment. When in theater, the fighting forces, the teeth, must allocate manpower to manage these tail processes.

RFID-enabled SMART Containers are an example of emerging and complementary RFID technologies that put the power of automation in the logistician’s hands. It is a solution aligned with current DOD operational requirements for greater flexibility, speed, and asset visibility. Whereas the UAV automated greater battlefield visibility in aerial operations, the Self-Inventorying SMART Container retrofit is the first step in providing the same benefits to supply. The result will be heightened readiness and more tooth to take a bigger bite out of the enemy. rfid 26 |

Defense Transportation Journal

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Five Reasons DASH7 Will Transform Logistics

By Patrick E. Burns, Co-Founder and President of the DASH7 Alliance, Head of Licensing & Alliances, Savi – a Lockheed Martin Company

DASH7

, the new global standard for low-energy wireless data, should be part of the strategic planning process for logistics companies around the world. Here are five reasons DASH7 should matter to a defense logistician:

DOD Has Standardized on DASH7. In January 2009, the US Department of Defense (DOD) awarded a $428 million IDIQ contract for devices that comply with the ISO 18000-7 (aka DASH7) standard, making DASH7 the standard for “active RFID” devices throughout the US Department of Defense.

DOD’s decision to embrace the DASH7 standard was not an expedient one. DOD began working with active RFID during WWII to assist in identifying “friend” or “foe” among combat aircraft. Then in 1991, DOD began using the technology to track cargo containers in support of Operation Desert Storm. Since then, DOD has purchased nearly half a billion dollars in active RFID infrastructure and realized tremendous benefits for the war fighter. DOD sees DASH7 as an important weapon in its bid to further optimize supply chain processes with cost-effective innovations, but also to extend DASH7’s benefits beyond the supply chain to include non–supply chain applications like IT asset tracking or access control.

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Suppliers and Allied Militaries Need Interoperability with DOD’s DASH7 Network. As defense logisticians increasingly define their supply chains in terms of the connectivity with the supply chain networks of key ecosystem partners, DASH7 is already becoming a requirement for some defense suppliers. As defense forces worldwide increase their reliance on common carriers and 3PL’s for their logistics needs, DASH7 will have a direct impact on them as well.

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SEPTEMBER 2009

Already DASH7 adoption is a requirement for NATO and allied defense forces, nearly all of whom seek to leverage DOD’s investment in DASH7 infrastructure rather than making the investment in a duplicate network. Defense forces for NATO and a number of its member countries and allies, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Spain, Sweden, and Denmark, utilize network infrastructure based on DASH7 technologies.

Lastly, a growing number of civilian departments and agencies (eg, the US Department of Energy and US National Guard) would like interoperability with DOD’s DASH7 network and are adopting DASH7 as their standard for tracking assets and hazardous materials.

DASH7 is Technically Elegant, Yet Simple. DASH7, which enables battery life over a period of several years, draws a fraction of the battery power of its nearest competitor, ZigBee. Like WiFi, ZigBee was designed to replicate a highbandwidth communications “session” similar to the one used on the local area network in your office, resulting in a huge drain on the battery. DASH7, conversely, was designed to communicate using short, asynchronous “bursts” of information— eg, sensor data—and then go to sleep.

One of the most important characteristics of DASH7 is where it operates in the wireless spectrum—433 MHz. More than 15 years ago and after careful comparison with other frequencies, the DOD selected 433 MHz as the frequency it would use for active RFID. This was due to 433 MHz’s:

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• Penetration Capability. 433 MHz can penetrate water and concrete as well as “bend” around heavy metal objects like ISO containers.

• Global availability of the 433 MHz frequency, which resides in an unlicensed spectrum. DASH7 can be

operated around the world in nearly every major trading market, including China and India.

• Lack of interference problems. While this has been the case for DASH7 for some time, interference problems created by 802.11n WiFi access points has proven to be an obstacle for ZigBee and anything else in the 2.4 Ghz spectrum, even Bluetooth. This reality should be a major factor for anyone contemplating a wireless data investment today.

• Good range. Some DASH7 devices can transmit up to 1500 feet, with multi-kilometer ranges already under development; average real-world operations typically have a range of 300 feet or more.

• Good data rate. DASH7 data rates are good—28 kbps—but probably not suitable for high bandwidth applications like video streaming.

Sensors Represent Disruptive Change to the Logistics Industry. The exploding market for tiny MEMS-based sensor devices—currently popular in products like the Apple iPhone and the Nintendo Wii—is driving cost reductions that in turn make sensors a viable option for a vast range of electronic devices. For supply chain customers, sensors married with a ubiquitous wireless data platform like DASH7 enable a level of visibility and accountability in the supply chain that was previously impractical or even impossible. Today, a DASH7-enabled temperature logger placed inside a shipment of vaccines can allow a hospital to refuse delivery of a shipment that was inadvertently left to freeze outdoors the previous evening. A DASH7-enabled shock sensor placed on a pallet can help a leading appliance retailer know where and when a shipment of dishwashers was dropped while in-transit, thereby avoiding costly warranty claims by helping to identify responsibility. And a DASH7enabled humidity sensor can tell the US Navy whether a new shipment of aircraft parts may be damaged by erosion and unfit for use.

Companies involved in maritime, rail, air, and trucking logistics will all be directly impacted by DASH7 becasue customers, beginning with the defense

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Companies involved in maritime, rail, air, and trucking logistics will all be directly impacted by DASH7 because customers, beginning with the defense sector, will eventually insist on “DASH7-enabling” objects and assets from the point of manufacture to the point of consumption. sector, will eventually insist on “DASH7enabling” objects and assets from the point of manufacture to the point of consumption. The incremental costs of adding DASH7-enabled sensors at the point of manufacture or at the point of stuffing a container for many customers are dropping, and the ability for a DASH-enabled sensor device to allow a customer to refuse even a single “bad” shipment can allow a DASH7 investment to be recouped overnight in many cases.

Emergence of a Global DASH7 Ecosystem. In March 2009, a group of technology companies launched the DASH7 Alliance, a non-profit industry consortium formed to advance the use of DASH7 technology by further enhancing the ISO 18000-7 standard, ensuring device interoperability,and educating the market about DASH7 technology.

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The DASH7 Alliance is for all intents and purposes doing with the ISO 18000-7 standard what the WiFi Alliance did with

IEEE 802.11. Today, the alliance has more than 30 members, including manufacturers, systems integrators, developers, regulators, academia, and end-users. Initial members include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, UNISYS, Dow, Michelin, Texas Instruments, ST Microelectronics, Analog Devices, and others. In addition to the DOD, The US Department of Energy and three of its laboratories, the Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as well as the University of Pittsburgh, serve as technical advisors. The alliance is actively recruiting members from the logistics community to ensure that as DASH7 evolves, the needs and concerns of the logistics community are fully reflected in future changes submitted to ISO. For organizations joining today, this is a valuable opportunity to influence the standard, interact with end users, and prepare your organization for the fundamental changes and opportunities DASH7 represents for the logistics industry. For more information, please visit www.dash7.org. rfid www.ndtahq.com | 27

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• • • • •

 FROM THE NDTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Expo & m u r o F NDTA ee s s e n n e T , Nashville f Change” “Rhythm o

Raymond P. Ebeling Chairman NDTA Board of Directors

L

Lend your VOICE Be a part of the CHANGE





    

1944 - 2009



the Association for Global Logistics and Transportation



NDTA

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        

Celebrating 65 years

ast year’s theme was “The Global Enterprise,” and I commented on the significance and importance of that theme, the benefits to all our businesses from global competition, and the derivative benefit to DOD of access to the sophisticated global networks we have built.

Within a month, the Global Economy was in near collapse. So, it is with some trepidation that I comment on this year’s theme, “Rhythm of Change.”

The Rhythm that we note today definitely fits the blues. The financial health of many companies that are critical to the DOD supply chain is not good, and their long term capacity and capability to get the job done may be at risk.

In today’s highly uncertain commercial environment, the more stable business we all do with DOD has become much more important. More than ever, service suppliers and DOD contracting need to understand and appreciate each other’s value and limits, must candidly confront challenges, must work through differences, and must accomplish shared objectives. This is the focus and mission of NDTA. And it is critically important both to the companies here and to DOD. Because what has not changed in the last year is that we are still in a tough fight in many areas throughout the world, and the warfighter still needs our support and demands our best joint effort.

We all have different roles and missions, but we all share the critical objective of providing the best and most cost effective transportation and logistics support to the warfighter, and that has to remain our priority.

As usual, I urge you to attend and visit the excellent Expo exhibits, to join us Tuesday night to celebrate several distinguished and honored guests, and to enjoy the excellent venue here in Nashville for networking and socializing.

Thank you for attending and for your support.

Regards, Ray

www.ndtahq.com | 29



 FORUM MODERATORS

 FORUM VOLUNTEERS Thanks to our 2009 NDTA Forum Volunteers! They make it HAPPEN!

Judy Silcox, CTC, CCTE

Colonel Stanley Wolosz, USA Chief of Staff SDDC

Chuck Bolduc Dale Cozart Terri Dalton Pat DeMichele Karen Edwards Lisa Fasching Taylor Fasching Mickey Frank Yvonne Frazier Kent Gourdin Marlene Jetton Ben Jetton LCDR Miguel Lake Michael McVeigh Amanda Meyer Colt Meyer Lynn Nelson Bob Reilly Marie Rohrbough Steve Rohrbough Betty Tedder Cindy Thurgood Craig Thurgood

Key Account Director, Government Global Sales InterContinental Hotels Group Americas

Welcome to the 63rd Annual NDTA Forum & Expo

T

e

Judy Silcox, CTC, CCTE Key Account Director Government Global Sales InterContinental Hotels Group Americas

m of Cha h t

ng

Colonel Stanley Wolosz, USA Chief of Staff SDDC

We also want to express our appreciation to Professors David Clarke, Director, and Larry Bray, Research Professor, of the Center for Transportation Research, University of Tennessee, for their support and coordination of student volunteers

Rh y

hank you for joining us in Nashville—America’s own “Music City”—for a full line up of professional sessions, networking activities, and information sharing!

This year marks a major milestone—our 65th year as an Association. We have witnessed considerable changes together; many are chronicled in our 50th Anniversary Yearbook published in 1994. Yet changes that have taken place since then have affected us deeply at work and personally in spite of the relatively short time span of 15 years.

For one thing, our country has been at war for nearly a decade following terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In response, we have seen advances in technology, tactics, and hardware that help us sustain front line warfighters and keep supply chains intact. We have also battled natural forces, such as Hurricane Katrina, a devastating tsunami in Indonesia, and earthquakes in Pakistan, to help deliver assistance. And the more recent economic downturn, erratic fuel costs, and travel cut backs have forced us all to take a different approach to our jobs and our lifestyle.

Our Forum journeys, too, from 1994 to the present reflect significant change.

They have led from coast to coast and through our country’s heartland. The topics we discussed and debated have fluctuated according to the evolving needs of the Department of Defense and the Defense Transportation System.

In the midst of all of this, though, one thing remains steadfast. NDTA is dedicated to serving YOU! We hope you enjoy your stay and the 2009 NDTA Forum & Expo, “The Rhythm of Change.”

S

*The opinions, ideas, and materials offered by speakers and panel participants at the NDTA Annual Forum do not necessarily reflect the views of the Association or represent an official position of the DOD or its components.

30 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

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 EXHIBITORS AND SPONSORS

As of August 19, 2009. Please see additional listings in the Forum Exhibitors and Sponsors Directory

EXHIBITORS 2010 National Medal of Honor Convention aka luxury suites Army Transportation Corps Museum AAT Carriers, Inc. ABF Freight System, Inc. Ace Doran Hauling & Rigging ACE Rent A Car, Inc. Agility Defense & Government Services American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier APL, Limited ARINC Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. Bennett International Group, LLC Boyle Transportation Byrne Transportation Services LLC CACI International Inc Cavalier Logistics CEVA Logistics Chapman Freeborn Airchartering Coastal Maritime Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation Crowley Maritime Corp.

Crowne Plaza Colorado Springs DB Schenker Defense Distribution Center Defense Travel Management Office Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration DHL Express DHL Global Forwarding Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group FedEx Custom Critical FedEx Express/FedEx Freight Fine Hospitality - Holiday Inn Express

General Dynamics General Freight Services / Coyote Logistics, LLC GeoDecisions Greatwide Truckload Management Gwangyang Bay Area FEZ Authority Hersha Hospitality Hilton Garden Inn Miami Airport West Hilton Hotels Corporation Horizon Lines Hub Group HudsonMann, Inc InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) ITLT Solutions, Inc. ITW ENVOPAK-AMERICAS Kalitta Charters Landstar System, Inc. Limitless International Inc. LMI Lockheed Martin Louisville CVB Lowry Computer Products LTD Management Maersk Line, Limited Marriott International Marriott Waterside Hotel - Norfolk Matson Integrated Logistics Mayflower Transit McCollister’s Transportation Group Mercer Transportation Co., Inc. Military Freight Haulers Military Sealift Command National Air Cargo NITAAC Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.

Omega World Travel Panther Expedited Services, Inc. Passport International Pilot Freight Services PM J-AIT Port of Port Arthur Port of San Diego Priority Solutions International Raith - CTS Logistics Rentacrate Reserve Officers Association of the United States Ridgeway International USA Inc. R & R Trucking Savi, A Lockheed Martin Company Sealed Air Corporation Silver State Trailways Surface Deployment & Distribution Command Tennessee Steel Haulers, Inc. (TSH, Inc.) The Hertz Corporation The Hotel at Turf Valley The Pasha Group Total Quality Logistics Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. US Bank PowerTrack US Transportation Command United Seamen’s Service United Van Lines UPS US Army PM TIS UTI UNITED STATES, INC. UTSI Worldwide Aeros Corp.

YRC Worldwide

SPONSORS COMPANY EVENT/ITEM Agility Defense & Government Services American Military University American Shipping & Logistics Group APL, Limited Avis Budget Group Baggett Transportation Company Best Western International The Boeing Company Chalich Trucking, Inc. CorTrans Logistics DB Schenker Delta Air Lines DHL Global Forwarding & DHL Express

Extended Stay America FedEx The Hertz Corp.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Landstar System

Name Badge Holders Internet Café Easel Covers Forum Junior Portfolio Expo Ice Cream Wine for Chairman’s Awards Dinner Grand Prize Drawing Forum Welcome Gram Patriotic Lapel Pin A-35 Support Forum Shipping Golf Tournament Registration Pavilion Name Badge Lanyards Grand Prize Drawing Monday Evening Scholarship Event Forum Registration Directory Forum Newspaper Transportation Support Chairman’s Awards Dinner Tote Bags

32 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

COMPANY EVENT/ITEM Maersk Line, Limited

National Air Cargo Northrop Grumman The Pasha Group Perot Systems Pilot Freight Services Port of Port Arthur R+L Global Services R & R Trucking Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) Southwest Airlines Tennessee Steel Haulers Transportation Institute UPS YRC Worldwide

Hotel Room Keys Grand Opening of Exhibit (Period I) International Awards Luncheon Super Sponsor Pocket Schedule Slot Machine Exhibits Revisited (Period II) Post-Chairman’s Award Dinner Event Name Badge Slot Machine Conference Note Pads R & R Lounge “Support the Troops” Wrist Bands Forum Wrap-Up Video Slot Machine Military Units Awards Ceremony Express Shipping Sunday Evening Scholarship Event Grand Prize Cruise Vacation

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 PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM, WORKSHOP, AND OFF-SITE TOURS From the Front – Young Leaders in the AOR Moderator: Maj Jeffrey Babinski, USAF, Commander, 11th Logistics Readiness Squadron The New Silk Road – Afghanistan Logistics Support Moderator: Mr. Rick Boyle, VP, Maersk Line, Limited Small Business Development – Doing Business with the Government Moderator: BG Barbara Doornink, USA (Ret.), Sr. Vice President, Operations Manager, JILTSO, SAIC Beyond DTCI Moderator: Mr. Andy Jones, SVP, Business Development, CorTrans Logistics

FAR Updates from Carrier or Service Provider – Common Carrier Point of View Moderator: Ms. Gail Jorgenson, Deputy Director, Acquisition (TCAQ) USTRANSCOM Mentoring Session Moderator: Mr. Larry Larkin, Director, Competitive Strategies, Northrop Grumman Information Systems Post Iraq Retrograde, Redeployment & Reset Moderator: MB Kevin Leonard, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Army Materiel Command AFRICOM’s Adaptive Logistics Network Moderator: Mr. Dennis L. D’Angelo, Chief, Africa Command Deployment Distribution Operations Center, HQ Africa Command (AFRICOM)

The Changing Face of Defense Travel Moderator: Ms. Pam Mitchell, SES, Director, Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) Web 2.0 and Security Best Practices Moderator: Mr. Ted Rybeck, CEO & Chairman, Benchmarking Partners National Disaster Logistics Supply Chain Coordination Moderator: Mr. Eric Smith, SES, Assistant Administrator, Logistics Management Directorate, FEMA Technology for Global Transportation & Logistics Moderator: Dr. LeAnne Viera, PhD, Partner IBM Global Business Services

 NDTA NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION AWARD The National Transportation Award is presented annually to a Senior Executive of the Transportation Industry, other than an employee, representative, or organization of the US Government, who has made exemplary contributions to the transportation industry at large in support of national security.

Thomas B. Crowley Jr. Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO Crowley Maritime Corporation

T

om Crowley Jr. serves as Chairman, President, and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, the $1.9 billion company founded by his grandfather in 1892 and subsequently run by his father until his passing in 1994. Tom was 16 and still in high school when he began working as a ticket collector for the company’s San Francisco passenger service, the Red and White Fleet. After graduation from the University of Washington with a business degree in finance, he returned to the company, working in several locations

before assuming the helm in 1994.

Since taking over the leadership of the company, Crowley has taken a portfolio approach to the diverse lines of business and has focused on sustainable growth.

Currently the company employs more than 4200 employees and 210 vessels around the world. It is engaged in worldwide logistics, liner cargo services, contract towing and transportation, energy support, ship assist and escort, petroleum and chemical transportation, salvage and emergency response, vessel design/build technical services, fuel retailing in Western Alaska, and ship management.

During his tenure as CEO, Crowley has aggressively directed efforts to preserve the Jones Act; promoted investment in new technologies for both equipment and information; and has focused on developing a strong safety culture throughout the company. Crowley also launched a decadelong capital improvement program which

34 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

will exceed $1 billion and will result in New Jones Act tugboats, heavy-lift series flat deck barges, and articulated tug barges (ATBs) for petroleum transportation.

Crowley is also known for his commitment to education and learning. He has established generous scholarships at all major maritime schools and at colleges and universities in locations where the company operates, including the US, Puerto Rico, and Central America. He received the distinguished AOTOS Award as presented by the United Seaman’s Service, the Golden Compass Award, and the Williams Mystic America and the Sea Award. He was also recognized with an honorary degree from the US Merchant Marine Academy.

NDTA recognizes Tom Crowley’s innovative approach to management, his appreciation for the potential of new technologies, and his commitment to education with its National Transportation Award for 2009.

Topics and Presenters are subject to schedule change

Personal Property Program – A Commitment to Excellence Moderator: Mr. Michael Babiak, Manager, Gov’t. Services, McCollister’s Transportation Group, Inc. OFF-SITE TOUR: Dell – East Coast Fulfillment Center (ECFC) Opened as the Inspiron Portables manufacturing facility June 2000. It was renamed in July 2002 as the East Coast Fulfillment Center and began fulfilling portables and Dell branded products to customers in 32 states. Its location allows Dell to reach 80 percent of its East Coast customer base next day via ground service compared to air network. The two buildings total 450,000 square feet and offer distribution services to many products: portables, minis, printers, desktops,

servers, and after sale options, to small and large relationship customers and consumers.

ECFC operates 24/7 with a team of between 750 and 1000 people.

Ms. Joni Holeman, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, DC Metro APICS, and Adjunct Faculty (George Mason Univ, Old Dominion Univ, Fox Valley Technical College)

OFF-SITE TOUR: UPS – Materials Distribution Center (MDC) MDC is a 91,000 square foot warehouse that serves as the largest link in the UPS automotive supply chain. It facilitates the procurement and distribution of parts and services for all of the automotive shops in over 1700 UPS facilities in the US. Processes are automated and state-of-the-art. Past tour participants give this facility tour a “thumbs up.”

NOTE: Attendees who successfully complete the NDTA Professional Development training course will be awarded .3 CEU by the University of Alabama at Huntsville, which offers innovative certificate programs and seminars in engineering, management and information technology. APICS offers CSCP and Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) to operations professionals around the world.

This session carries the mission of NDTA to provide educational and professional development to members working in national defense and security, in both the public and private sectors.

CEU Workshop: Joint Logistics Integration – DOD Logistics Roadmap from an Operations Professional Perspective. Presented by

NDTA thanks the University of Alabama in Huntsville for its support of our educational programs and course accreditation

 NDTA DOD DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD The DOD Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to a Senior Executive of the DOD who has made outstanding contributions to NDTA programs and national security.

Mr. Richard S. Haynes Executive Director, Military Sealift Command

A

s Executive Director, Military Sealift Command, Rick Haynes is the principal civilian advisor to the Commander, MSC, exercising authority for the direction and management of MSC business operations, advising the Commander on all aspects of the maritime industry, and exercising management direction and supervision of the MSC senior staff involved in all business and financial aspects of MSC’s fleet of 110 ships.

Mr. Haynes is a key player in the massive sealift efforts in support of the Global War on Terrorism and Operations Iraqi Freedom

and Enduring Freedom. MSC-controlled ships transport the majority of all warfighting equipment for those conflicts. As part of his Navy fleet operations responsibilities, Rick fulfilled a Navy strategic priority through the transfer of auxiliary ships, which Navy service members had crewed, to the MSC civilian mariner-operated fleet, allowing the Navy sailors to be assigned to more warfighting duties. He has also been the catalyst for initiatives that have improved the readiness of the MSC sealift fleet and significantly reduced DOD ocean transportation costs.

Recognized in the maritime community as one of the Navy’s leading experts on the military’s interaction with the ocean transportation industry and the maritime labor unions, Mr. Haynes helped develop critical programs that have allowed DOD to leverage the capabilities of the commercial maritime industry to support military requirements, and he has demonstrated to Congress how those maritime programs support DOD objectives.

Mr. Haynes became Executive Director of MSC in 1997, after having served the Navy as an attorney for 22 years in a variety of positions. His last position prior to becoming Executive Director was as Counsel to MSC, its senior attorney, supervising 24 attorneys in five locations worldwide. As Executive Director, he exercises senior civilian management of MSC’s $3.3 billion annual budget and its workforce of 1000 ashore employees and 5300 civil service merchant mariners. He also directs the management of ship charters and operating contracts that employ 1900 commercial mariners who help crew MSC’s fleet.

Rick’s Government awards include the Presidential Distinguished Executive Award and the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award.

He has served the US Navy and his Country with distinction and is richly deserving of the recognition NDTA is bestowing on him through its presentation of the NDTA DOD Distinguished Service Award. www.ndtahq.com www.ndtahq.com| | 35

 NDTA PRESIDENT’S AWARD The NDTA President’s Award recognizes an individual who has responded in a constructive manner to major issues confronting the transportation/distribution community and has developed plans or systems that have been effectively utilized in managing current challenges and significantly contributed to advancements in distribution.

Colonel Joseph A. Torsani, Jr., USA (Ret.) Chairman, NDTA Council of Regional Presidents Business Development Advisor XIO Strategies, Inc.

J

oe Torsani attended his first NDTA Board of Directors meeting as Chairman of the Council of Regional Presidents (CORP) on 19 May 1990. This was not his first office in the NDTA. Joe had served at all levels of leadership from chapter through regional to national level. At that meeting, Joe said he saw his role in his new office as being the direct link between the individual members of the Association and the Board of Directors. Those words have

guided his actions as Chairman, CORP, for more than 19 years.

Working with his fellow regional presidents, Joe Torsani remains in constant contact with the membership and makes certain the NDTA leadership is kept current on the health of the chapters and the views of the individual members.

He was a key player with General Edward Honor in revitalizing the Association to meet the challenges of a world transitioning from Cold War to globalization. In recent years Joe performed a similar function by establishing task forces to study the new demands on the chapters and the membership in a world of constant deployments and base restructuring and to explore the possibilities of the new forms of communication becoming available.

A tireless advocate for the A-35 program, Joe has served on local chapter boards wherever he was in the world and on a va-

riety of national-level NDTA committees.

He has served as Vice President of Ocean Shipping, as Vice President of the NDTA Foundation, and as Maryland State Vice President. He has been honored with the awarding of the Distinguished Service and Presidential Special Achievement Awards.

He brought to all his efforts the benefit of more than 40 years of experience in logistics management in the military and commercial fields, and he has always shared the fruit of that experience with others. He mentors young people, CEOs, and General Officers, always to their profit. Over the years he has expended a great deal of his own time, energy, and resources traveling the country, representing the President of NDTA. For many people, Joe is the face of NDTA, and he is always smiling.

Joe Torsani is truly deserving of recognition with the NDTA President’s Award.

 NDTA INNOVATIVE LOGISTICS SERVICE AWARD

SAIC Software Engineering Team Tanker Airlift Control Center Air Mobility Command

T

he NDTA recognizes Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)’s Software Engineering Team for their inventive efforts to automate the Joint Airborne Air Transportation Training (JAATT) mission scheduling process.

Due to the limited number of missions available for JAATT training, the SAIC Software Engineering Team recog-

nized the need to develop an automated process that was efficient, effective, and user-friendly. To improve the allocation process, the SAIC Team worked with all the JAATT stakeholders to create the collaborative and interactive web-based JAATT Management System or JMS. The web-based JMS tool allows airlift squadrons to quickly and easily post their availability for JAATT missions, and users can request training from the squadrons.

Since the JAATT conferences are no longer required, the web-based JMS saves the Department of Defense (DOD) $1 million in temporary duty costs annually while returning to DOD thousands of hours of productivity that had been associated with travelling to the conferences.

36 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

Just as important, the JMS helped reduce the 54,000 “chute” shortfall against a requirement of 299,000 chutes (a “chute” equates to one soldier jumping from an aircraft) in 2008.

The web-based JAATT Management System designed by the SAIC Software Engineering Team in support of the 618 Tanker Airlift Control Center Technology Division Rapid Application Development Office, 618 TACC Mission Support Directorate, significantly improved the scheduling and execution of airborne training for troops and loadmasters, directly and positively impacting the ability of the United States to promote peace and deliver humanitarian aid throughout the world.

“A

is not an option.”

Go ahead, challenge us.

Give Agility an impossible task and we’ll make it happen, regardless of what stands in the way. When it comes to moving essential supplies through hostile environments without turning back, you can count on us to deliver.

 NDTA PRESIDENT’S SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD The National Defense Transportation Association has a number of internal awards that recognize individual members who have excelled in fostering the goals and aims of NDTA. These awards include NDTA President’s Special Achievement Award; International Junior Executive Leadership Award; NDTA Educator Distinguished Service Award; and NDTA Corporate Distinguished Service Award.

Mr Kenneth Wavering Scott-St. Louis Chapter

Mr. Alan Wohlstetter Washington, DC, Chapter

en Wavering has provided outstanding leadership of the Scott-St. Louis Chapter of NDTA for the past four years and was the catalyst for unparalleled member participation,exceptional educational programs, an active program supporting disaster preparation, philanthropic and scholarship fundraising, and coordination with other professional organizations to sponsor two significant regional forums, addressing logistics and supply chain issues. As a result of his leadership, the chapter won the Category III International Chapter of the Year award two years in a row and the A-35 Chapter of the year once.

Chapter meetings attract 20% to 25% of the membership each month because of excellent speakers and programs. The scholarship program has raised and awarded between $12,000 and $15,000 each year. The chapter raised $10,000 for the Fisher House Project at the St. Louis VA hospital and designed, created, and funded the “Bistro” recreation room for the Scott AFB Aeromedical Staging Facility, where injured Service members returning from an overseas deployment can relax while in transit to other medical facilities. Working with the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, Ken was key to organizing and sponsoring “TechNet Mid-America” for two years running. This forum attracted 800 attendees this year.

Ken Wavering has been an inspirational leader to the Chapter, achieving strong support for USTRANSCOM and the DOD, and he is a great credit to the NDTA.

lan Wohlstetter has been a giant in Defense Transportation for six decades and a steadfast supporter for the NDTA, particularly the Washington, DC, Chapter, having served as its volunteer General Counsel for many years.

Alan has been handling land, air, and water transportation issues since 1953. He began by supporting a half-dozen shipping clients at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, which has led to a lifetime of representing the interests of the industry and supporting the objectives of Defense Transportation.

He was instrumental in the creation of the Household Goods and Forwarders Association of America, which is now known as International Association of Movers, or IAM. A primary motivation to establish IAM was the need for carriers doing business with the government to have an advocate in Washington. For nearly 50 years and with more than 1000 members, the Association has thrived, and the need for the goods of military families to travel the globe safely has expanded.

Alan has been a great source of legal and transportation subject matter expertise for both NDTA Headquarters and the Washington, DC, Chapter. Through the decades, he has helped guide policy and operational decisions with a steady hand and a sharp legal mind. Mr. Wohlstetter has left an indelible footprint on the NDTA and the Defense Transportation Industry.

K

A

 FUTURE NDTA FORUM LOCATIONS

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Washington, D.C.

Phoenix, AZ

Anchorage, AK

San Antonio, TX

Orlando, FL

38 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

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 NDTA JUNIOR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD

J

CIVILIAN

MILITARY

Jason Trubenbach Washington, DC, Chapter

Technical Sergeant Alisha N. Cua Scott-St. Louis Chapter

ason Trubenbach served his country in uniform as a US Army Transportation Corps Officer and now serves as an Army Civilian Transportation Planning Specialist on the Department of the Army G4 Staff and as a stand-out NDTA volunteer.

In the Army, Jason served in line and staff positions in Germany, then deployed to Turkey in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In 2003, he operated with the Polish General Staff in Warsaw to deploy the Multi-National Division from 14 countries to OIF. Returning to Germany, he was the lead planner for the deployment of the 1st Infantry Division to Iraq and developed the plan to move more than 7800 pieces of the 1st ID’s equipment by rail, barge, and commercial truck to Antwerp, Belgium, for transshipment in only 17 days.

As an Army civilian, he is responsible for the Army’s Power Projection Program, providing it critical policy support, and is the G-4’s lead action officer for the Department of Defense’s Mobility Capabilities and Requirements Study 2016, assessing the mobility capabilities requirements needed to support the National Security Strategy in the 2016 timeframe.

Jason served as the President of NDTA’s Rheinland-Pfalz Chapter. He is now an active A-35 member of the DC Chapter, where he has participated in the Mentor-Protégé Program and is a strong contributor in all Chapter events. From helping execute the scholarship auction to escorting our Wounded Warriors at the National Transportation Week dinner, Jason steps up every time!

Jason truly deserves this year’s Junior Executive Leadership Award.

T

echnical Sergeant Alisha N. Cua is an Air Transportation Specialist and is assigned to Standardization, Programs, and Resources Branch within the Air Mobility Command’s Air Transportation Division, providing daily updates on $241 million in 463L pallet and net assets.

As the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the 463L Pallet and Net Program, she coordinated with 898 users to ensure that proper reporting is accomplished utilizing the Global Asset Reporting Tool system, maintaining accountability and proper distribution of these critical assets worldwide. Her efforts enabled the success of 125 vital mission requirements through sourcing $23 million in assets to the appropriate agencies.

Additionally, TSgt Cua took the lead in coordinating and establishing a joint rapid improvement event for Department of Defense 463L pallet management in order to improve visibility and accountability while reducing pallet purchase and repair costs.

She demonstrated her skills as an Air Expeditionary Force Warrior while deployed for six months to the 386th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, where she led 85 personnel in daily flightline operations, transporting 165,000 passengers and 12,000 tons of cargo on 4000 missions.

She is a highly respected member of the air transportation community and is truly deserving of this year’s National Defense Transportation Association’s International Junior Executive Award.

 COLONEL NORBERT GRABOWSKI MEMBERSHIP RECRUITING AWARDS CHAPTERS

Category I

Category II

Category III

INDIVIDUAL

A-Frame Chapter

Charleston Chapter

Regimental Chapter

Mr. Joe Escalera Regimental Chapter

40 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

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 NDTA DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

Mr. Christopher Blum

Mrs. Debbie Bretches

Mr. Mark Cordisco

Mr. Steven Cubarney

Colonel Jacques De Kimpe

Valley of the Sun Chapter

DTJ Carden Jennings Publishing Co., Ltd.

Charleston Chapter

Washington, DC, Chapter

Benelux Chapter

Ms. Sheri Dixon

SSgt Regina Green, USAF

Mr. Larry Larkin

Mrs. Caron Martin

Scott-St. Louis Chapter

San Antonio Chapter

Washington, DC, Chapter

Valley of the Sun Chapter

Captain James Naber, USN (Ret.) Central PA Chapter

Ms. Liz Pasqualucci

Mr. Robert Sherrill

Ms. Jennifer L. Tubb

Colonel Carlo van den Berg

Mr. John “Mo” Verling

Scott-St. Louis Chapter

Tampa Bay Chapter

Scott-St. Louis Chapter

Benelux Chapter

Scott-St. Louis Chapter

 NDTA CORPORATE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS Agility Defense and Government Services

DHL

The Pasha Group

American Shipping and Logistics Group

FedEx Corporation

Ports America Group

APL Limited

The Hertz Corporation

Raith Engineering

Avis Budget Group

InterContinental Hotels Group

R&R Trucking

Baggett Transportation Company

Landstar System, Inc.

Southwest Airlines

Bennett Motor Express, LLC

Lockheed Martin

Savi, a Lockheed Martin Company

The Boeing Company

Maersk Line, Limited

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC)

CEVA Logistics

McCollister’s Transportation Group, Inc.

Transportation Institute

CorTrans Logistics, LLC

National Air Cargo

UPS

DB Schenker

Omega World Travel

YRC Worldwide

Delta Air Lines

Panther Expedited Services, Inc.

42 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

 NDTA INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARDS The International Chapter of the Year Award was initiated in 1977 to recognize chapters that have excelled in fostering the goals and objectives of NDTA; promoting an understanding of the importance of transportation to the security of the Nation; participating in community service programs; developing quality educational programs for the chapter membership; and providing for chapter growth through effective membership recruiting and retention programs.

CATEGORY II San Antonio Chapter

The San Antonio Chapter of the NDTA is recognized as the 2009 International Chapter of the Year for outstanding achievement in meeting the goals of the Chapter and of the NDTA. The Chapter aggressively promoted the spirit and mission of the NDTA by coordinating a Mayoral Proclamation that established Transportation Week in San Antonio, emphasizing the importance of transportation in the economy that has made the City one of the premier logistics hubs in the Southwest. Membership involvement in Chapter activities, particularly that of the A-35s, was truly admirable.

The San Antonio Chapter responded to the needs of the local military community by preparing and serving breakfast to Wounded Warriors and their families as well as preparing and serving breakfast at the Fisher House at Fort Sam Houston.

During the holiday season, the Chapter helped a fellow Transporter in need. The Chapter “adopted” a single military enlisted mother with two children, ages 11

and 4, providing them with gift cards and sponsoring their attendance at the Christmas party at no cost to the family.

The San Antonio Chapter membership made long lasting and significant contributions toward furthering the objectives and goals of the NDTA and truly earned the prestigious award of International Chapter of the Year.

CATEGORY III Scott-St. Louis Chapter

The Scott-St. Louis Chapter has recognized its relevance to the community in creating programs that provide significant value to both the corporate and individual members of the Scott AFB and St. Louis logistics communities.

Its formula for success is first to provide an aggressive monthly program at no cost to the individual members. The chapter provides relevant, professional, senior leaders as keynote speakers to address current business and military concerns. It actively encourages a cross pollination of professional programs through its relationships with the St. Louis University’s Center for Supply Chain

Management Studies and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association to provide professional growth and understanding. Finally, it provides significant networking opportunities to foster better professional and business relationships.

Consequently, on average over 130 members attend the monthly luncheons.

This formula has also ensured a stable, growing business and individual membership, and corporate sponsorship has increased from 22 to 27 company members. This approach has created several joint events annually, improving a sense of community among all members. These include programs like the TechNet MidAmerica 2008 Conference and shared luncheons with sister organizations, bringing together military and logistics communities to address critical issues.

The chapter also raised more than $15,000 in support of its scholarship program. This equated to five scholarships to the local community.

All these programs are critical lifeblood of the organization and have made the Scott-St Louis Chapter very deserving of this award.

 NDTA INTERNATIONAL A-35 CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARDS The International A-35 Chapter of the Year Award was instituted in the continuing endeavor to involve young people in the varied programs of the NDTA and to recognize those Chapters that make significant contributions to the furtherance of this goal.

CATEGORY II San Antonio Chapter

The San Antonio Chapter is recognized as the 2009 International A-35 Chapter of the Year, Category II, for outstanding achievement in meeting the goals of the Chapter and the National Association. The San Antonio Chapter Action-35s eagerly arranged and coordinated many chapter events and were very active in other parts of the Association. A-35s have been elected as officers and to the Board of Directors and have chaired and served on several committees.

The San Antonio Chapter A-35s aggressively promoted the spirit and mission of the NDTA by taking charge and arranging a Mayoral Proclamation that established Transportation Week in San Antonio, emphasiz-

ing the importance of transportation in the economy that has made the City one of the premier logistics hubs in the Southwest.

The A-35s direct role in planning and organizing events helped the San Antonio Chapter to enrich community relations by providing scholarships and educational support for deserving students; they also coordinated volunteers preparing and serving breakfast for Wounded Warriors and their families at the Operation Home Front Village in San Antonio and at the Fort Sam Houston Fisher House.

The San Antonio Chapter is extremely proud of its A-35 members, as the A-35s are proud of being a part of the NDTA. They are the very reason the San Antonio Chapter has truly earned the prestigious

award of the Category Two International A-35 Chapter of the Year.

CATEGORY II Washington, DC, Chapter

The Washington, DC, Chapter’s A-35 members planned and executed one of the most exciting Scholarship Auctions ever held. Addressing the current economic situation, this year’s committee found innovative ways to cut overhead and generate significant revenue, raising approximately $13,000 for the scholarship nominees, a true testament to the A-35ers’efforts in these challenging economic times.

The LTG Edward Honor MentorProtégé Program continues to facilitate the growth of young professionals. This premier www.ndtahq.com | 43

program continues to draw interest from new members, as well as young professionals new to the program. They are able to network, gain perspective on the industry and insights into planning their future goals with leading professionals and military leaders.

A-35 members are playing a significant role leading the charge to sustain and grow the NDTA. During the year, DC Chapter A-35 members served on committees and took leadership roles within the organization. They set up programs and actively participated at all levels of the Association.

A-35 members participate in the Chapter’s on-going community service program, volunteering to bag groceries at the Arlington Food Assistance Center. Additionally, they supported the Chapter’s Christmas Wreath Laying Program at Arlington National Cemetery, were active in the Chapter luncheons, and were heavily involved in recruiting.

The A-35 members’ energy and selfless efforts provide a tremendous example and serve as an inspiration to all. The Washington, DC, Chapter deserves recognition through the NDTA International A-35 Chapter of the Year Award.

 NDTA SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNERS PROGRAM A Steven Atkinson

East Carolina University

Michael Berryman

University of Maryland

Harrison Brooks

Univ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lauren Brown

University of Maryland

Mitchell Challacombe University of Maryland

Tiffany Chen

University of Maryland

Michael Nugent

American Military University

Maroulla Plangetis

University of Maryland

Kelly Quinn

University of Maryland

Casey Siegert

Emma Enders

Pennsylvania State University

Laura Fielden

University of South Carolina

Anthony Fuentes

University of the Pacific

Lindsey Hicks

Colorado State University

Claire Humphrey

University of Arkansas

Kyle Rodriguez

University of Alabama

Matthew Steadman

University of Tennessee

Julian Washington Howard University

Alana Whieldon

University of Evansville

Beth Winkeler

St. Louis University

Ohio State University

PROGRAM B (College)

PROGRAM B (High School)

Crystal Bialas

Daniel Anderson Auburn University

Audrie Coker

Northern Arizona University

Tidewater Community College

Shannon Connolly Syracuse University

Timothy Trego

University of Maryland

 NDTA MILITARY UNIT OF THE YEAR AWARDS Since 1966, NDTA has annually honored units of the military services that have performed outstanding service in transportation or a related field. These units are selected by each of the Services and receive the NDTA Military Units Award at the Annual Transportation and Logistics Forum and Exposition.

Army US ARMY ACTIVE COMPONENT 32nd Transportation Company Medium TRK (PLS)

The 32nd Transportation Company, stationed at Fort Carson, CO, has the mission to deploy and conduct truck transportation of containerized and general cargo using the Palletized Load System (PLS). The unit is currently deployed to Afghanistan in support of the Nation’s effort to defeat global terrorism, and its aggressive training schedule in 2008 set it up for success despite the tumultuous last six months of the year.

Late in the deployment cycle the unit was re-missioned from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) to Operation Enduring

Freedom (OEF), causing a shift from theater-provided equipment to requiring home station equipment, and the deployment date was moved up by six months.

Trey Deuce quickly increased from 19 PLS vehicles to 60 up-armored PLS vehicles, rigorously trained its soldiers on the new equipment, installed extensive communication equipment on each vehicle, trained to self-protect with the MRAP gun trucks, and prepared and shipped 512 major end items via rail, sea, and air to the OEF Theater.

Because of the shift in deployment dates, the unit was required to simultaneously ship its equipment from both Fort Carson, CO, and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA, upon completion of its 30-day mission rehearsal exercise.

It performed all these tasks successfully and arrived in theater mission-ready. Be-

44 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

cause of the 32nd Transportation Company’s dedication to mission accomplishment, it is named this year’s Army Active Duty NDTA Unit of the Year.

US ARMY NATIONAL GUARD 1844th Transportation Company (TC)

The 1844th Light/Medium Transportation Company (TC), based in Quincy, IL, has a peacetime mission delivering light to medium cargo throughout the Mid-West.

Deploying to Kuwait and Iraq in April of 2008 was to be a totally different mission.

The 1844th TC was assigned as a pure medium transportation unit operating tractor-trailers instead of five ton cargo trucks, supporting the theater of Iraq.

On November 1, 2008, six of the eight convoy teams re-fitted to convoy security teams, and the teams excelled in the security mission.

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Based at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, the 1844th readily accessed cargo at the sea ports and airports for delivery to Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in Iraq, transporting more than 78,000 tons of equipment and supplies to more than 28 FOBs throughout Iraq. For 10 months the 1844th executed 78 Combat Logistic Patrols, 16 Combat Escort Patrols, and 137 local transportation missions, travelling more than 751,946 miles over the most challenging roadways in the world.

The unit brought home all unit members safely and, with the support of the Illinois Army National Guard’s Yellow Ribbon Group, successfully reintegrated them with their families and employers. Because of the 1844th Transportation Company’s dedication to mission accomplishment and to sustaining the war fighting capabilities of more than 150,000 coalition forces, the unit is named this year’s Army National Guard NDTA Unit of the Year.

Marine Corps USMC ACTIVE COMPONENT Combat Logistics Battalion 6

By virtue of its extraordinary service to I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) from March to September 2008, Combat Logistics Battalion 6 (CLB-6) has distinguished itself not only as the premier combat logistics battalion in the Marine Corps, but also as one of our Nation’s foremost operational support providers.

Utilizing both air delivery and ground transportation assets, CLB-6 executed effective combat logistics support to more than 150 combat logistics patrols, logging more than 25,000 mission miles in direct support to Regimental Combat Team 5 (RCT-5) and general support to Multi-National ForceWest (MNF-W). This support was instrumental to the success of MNF-W in its efforts at conducting counterinsurgency operations in western Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

CLB-6 transported more than 1480 containers, 1,724,500 gallons of fuel, 4,814,800 gallons of bulk water, and conducted more than 21 Air Deliveries and 50 Helicopter Support Team missions to remote locations, and in some cases, in support to clandestine operations along the Iraq-Syrian border.

CLB-6’s professionalism and commitment to mission excellence had a direct and measurable impact on RCT-5’s ability to conduct counterinsurgency, security, and stability operations and to transition to operational over-watch. It also contributed to the development of the Iraqi Security Forces in and around the western portion of the Al Anbar Province.

CLB-6 is truly deserving of the National Defense Transportation Association Military Unit of the Year Award.

USMC RESERVE COMPONENT 2nd Beach and Terminal Operations Company Bravo

2nd Beach and Terminal Operations Company Bravo’s accomplishments in 2008 once again raised the bar of achievement in 4th Landing Support Battalion and in 4th Marine Logistics Group.

The direct support the company has provided to the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command’s 841st Transportation Battalion, as well as to the Director of Logistics, 3rd Infantry Division, has had a positive impact, as well as furnished the company with exclusive joint logistical experiences within Marine Forces Reserve. These experiences will not only significantly assist the unit in the future augmentation of the active duty component mission, but also provide its members with hands-on core competency training, which will further strengthen their skill sets for future logistical and transportation missions.

The enterprising concept behind this support has proven to be a successful Department of Defense model for both 2nd Beach and Terminal Operations Company and the United States Army by minimizing contracted skilled labor costs and assisting in maintaining operational units’ force deployment timelines in support of the Global War on Terror.

The unit’s ability to maintain high training standards while learning and integrating new tactics, techniques, and procedures keeps this company current and competitive with its active duty counterparts.

In recognition of these extensive accomplishments, 2nd Beach and Terminal Operations Company Bravo is awarded the National Defense Transportation Association Award for a US Marine Corps Reserve Component.

46 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

Navy US NAVY ACTIVE COMPONENT Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Sigonella (FISCSI)

The men and women of Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Sigonella (FISCSI) have distinguished themselves through exceptional service by delivering responsive, tailorable, and deployable combat logistics support to warfighters throughout Southwest Asia, Africa, and Europe. Their outstanding performance in support of simultaneous realworld operations, in addition to various exercises and regular ship visits, was critical to successful mission accomplishment.

On many occasions, the team executed no-notice transportation support for relief efforts in Georgia and Lebanon. Responding efficiently to short-fused requirements, the supply center delivered timely logistics support for a wide range of missions stretching from Rota, Spain, through the Red Sea to the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq.

Combined with routes from South Africa to Scotland, the supply center covered littoral countries in nearly 30 million square miles of sea space in very unstable regions.

The center supported nearly 200,000 forward-deployed US and coalition forces and played a major role in executing and coordinating transportation logistics support for Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Noble Eagle, Maritime Interdiction Operations in the Gulf of Aden, and the ongoing African Partnership Station. The supply center’s deployed troops also maximized and optimized ashore re-supply for underway replenishments to eight Combat Support Groups, ten Expeditionary Strike Groups, and six Station Support Groups transiting through the five choke points of the world.

NDTA recognizes the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Sigonella as its Navy Active Component Military Unit of the Year.

US NAVY RESERVE COMPONENT DLA Defense Energy Support Center Fuels Management Team

The Defense Logistics Agency’s Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) Fuels Management Team (FMT) is the only Navy Reserve Unit supporting the DESC. Its

mission is to develop and provide a trained cadre of bulk fuel professionals capable of immediately augmenting the Defense Energy Support Center and its regions.

The four officers and six enlisted personnel who make up the unit provide direct support to various DESC deployments, operations, and exercises throughout the world.

Five unit personnel were deployed in 2008 to support DESC-Middle East, providing more than 890 man-days of direct support.

One member of the team established a Liaison Officer position for DESC with the US Embassy in Afghanistan. The team member monitored border crossings and met with Afghan government ministries to ensure the smooth flow of fuel trucks at the border. In operations, exercises, and training, the FMT contributed another 105 days of support.

While serving with DESC-Middle East, unit personnel performed as Liaison Officers, Fuels Supervisor, and Inventory Manager in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Overseas Contingency Operations. The team’s accomplishments included providing fuels support to the 27 countries in Central Command with a primary focus on Iraq and Afghanistan and ensuring the constant flow of 25 million gallons of fuel per week.

The team is certainly deserving of recognition as the Navy Reserve Component NDTA Military Unit of the Year Award.

Air Force USAF ACTIVE COMPONENT 332d Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron

In 2008, the 332d Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron (ELRS) successfully met the demanding combat operations tempo of Operation Iraqi Freedom, projecting life sustaining logistics support from six separate locations.

Despite more than 360 enemy mortar and rocket attacks, the squadron maximized combat power capability throughout the Iraq Area of Responsibility (AOR), directing aerial port operations at the Department of Defense’s busiest aerial port and transporting more than 284,000 tons of cargo and more than 487,000 passengers on 42,000 mobility airlift missions with one quarter of the manning of a stateside aerial port.

The squadron championed Central Command’s commercial aircraft tender program, utilizing contractor carriers to transport more than 14,000 tons of cargo and saving $90 million in priority transportation costs while reducing the stress on organic US Air Force aircraft.

The squadron supported the first commercial passenger carrier landing in Iraq.

This successful proof-of-concept enabled future passenger missions directly into Iraq, removing an entire transient point of travel and shaving 36 hours of travel time to Iraq.

The squadron spearheaded the prepositioning of more than 2700 M-16/M-9 small arms at Joint Base Balad, establishing accountability and issue procedures and saving $1.75 million in annual excess baggage fees.

The actions of the men and women of the 332 ELRS led the Commander, United States Air Force Central Command, to declare it, “the best squadron in the AOR to date,” and earned it the NDTA Military Unit of the Year Award.

USAF RESERVE COMPONENT 80th Aerial Port Squadron

The War Fighting 80th Aerial Port Squadron of the 94th Mission Support Group, 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, led 44 aerial ports in contributing the most deployed airmen in the Global War on Terror and was second in combined Global War on Terror and Air Expeditionary Force support.

The command element of this unit led the 506th Enterprise Location Referencing System team, Kirkuk Regional Air Base, while additional leadership and other teams deployed to Balad Air Base. Twelve percent of the unit’s membership was TDY through 2008, and 37 members prepared for forward deployment to Central Command, representing 35% of the squadron engaged directly in the war effort.

Multiple missions were coordinated with the 5th Ranger Battalion, serving more than 2400 passengers. The aerial port team also supported the processing and loading of more than 1200 Rangers during final jump, resulting in an increase in Active Duty Army Ranger readiness.

Performing phenomenally during Annual Tours, the 80th APS moved 4578 passengers and 3510 tons of cargo on 244

48 | Defense Transportation Journal | SEPTEMBER 2009

missions. Always combat ready, an 80th APS deployment readiness system tracks 3887 events, increasing readiness from 49% to 83% in 4 months. The unit’s Load Planning section increased qualified load planners 76% in 12 months, aggressively improving wartime capability.

The 80th APS truly deserves recognition as the US Air Force Reserve Component NDTA Military Unit of the Year.

Coast Guard USCG Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA)

The US Coast Guard’s largest command outside of the United States, Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, set the standard for operational excellence by managing the logistics associated with training, organizing, supporting, and deploying combat-ready US Coast Guard Forces. More than 400 Coast Guard and Navy staff members provide seaside security, law enforcement training, military exchanges, cargo inspection services, and logistics support.

The command’s primary mission— providing a continuous security presence at Iraq’s Northern Arabian Gulf oil platforms—requires an 11-ship fleet that transits more than 135,000 nautical miles.

The mission includes the training of foreign Coast Guards and Navies throughout the Middle East and military exchanges within the Area of Responsibility, and the five person team deployed and trained the militaries of eight countries in 2008.

The command performed a force protection assessment of the port of Umm Qasr, which allowed the first port call of a US ship there in more than three years.

The command also inspected cargo containers retrograding to the US and cleaned wheeled vehicles and equipment in nine Central Command countries, cleaning 239 pieces of rolling stock and inspecting 3050 containers. This resulted in a 25% reduction in the amount of US Army cargo arriving as frustrated freight when shipped to the US and a 15% reduction in the amount of time required for cargo to clear customs.

Patrol Forces Southwest Asia is the US Coast Guard’s NDTA Military Unit of the Year.

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yt or oll . Ph oto Cou tesy FedEx r

M

any Americans are learning for the first time this year what it’s like to seek assistance from social programs. As more working people turn up at food banks, items leave the shelves faster and aren’t replaced as quickly.

In a video message at the beginning of the summer, President Obama called on all Americans to help in our nation’s recovery by volunteering in their communities.

The United We Serve (www.serve.gov) campaign began as a Summer of Service, with plans to continue service programs when the summer ends.

While unemployment rates climb across the country, one position that’s relatively safe in the Washington, DC, area is that of the Federal worker. Inspired by the First Lady’s trip to the Capital Area Food Bank to bag lunches for kids, several Federal Agencies got together to come up with a way to fill the shelves of the Food Bank and the stomachs of the Washington, DC, Metro area families. The idea, “Feds Feed Families,” began as a friendly competition among Federal office workers bringing nonperishable items

with them to work. On the last Friday of each month in the summer, they’d tally up the pounds en route to office prizes, such as pizza parties or special acknowledgement, but most importantly, helping d M ilit rea ary to feed area families. nd a truc ks loaded with food To move these boxes of food from a million government offices to the food bank warepounds house, organizers got some help from would eclipse the local truck-driving troops and also gave largest food drive donation the food bank NDTA a call. Transportation is a vital elehas received—125,000 lbs—which resulted ment when assisting needy families. “That from the Papal Food Drive. That donation is what it’s all about—the key is getting was collected in just a week, and was prethe food to them,” said Capital Area Food sented as a gift to the Pope in honor of the Bank Resource Director Mike Gillespie. last Papal visit to Washington, DC. “Hungry people don’t live next to the food; The Feds Feed Families drive went all we’ve got to move it around to them.” summer, and a major contributor to the Program organizers set a goal of one milprogram’s transportation needs has held lion pounds of food by summer’s end, which Federal interests at heart since its busiwould be record-breaking because the Capness began. NDTA PLUS Member FedEx ital Area Food Bank averages that amount stepped up with summer-long support, yearly from all of the Metro area food drives providing drivers and transportation combined. “If they hit just two- tenths of throughout the DC Metro region. that, it would be amazing,” said Gillespie on “FedEx was founded on the ability to the first day of the drive. Twenty percent of move airplane parts for the government in

* If you’d like to see Feds Feed Families in action, check out “Food on the Move”— a video documentary produced by FedEx. Go to: mediacenter.fedex.designcdt.com/node/367.

www.ndtahq.com | 53

Photo courtesy Jeff Campbell

By Jeff Campbell

Teams of soldiers from the Army, Marines, and DC National Guard work together to begin food pickup, and the Metropolitan Police Department serve as escorts for the military convoy through the city. Photo courtesy FAA/DOT.

AN EXTRA HELPING Leading up to the actual pickup and delivery of donated goods to the Capital Area Food Bank were many hours of planning sessions involving the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Transportation (including the Federal Aviation Administration), NDTA headquarters staff (Denny Edwards, Karen Schmitt, and Jeff Campbell), and FedEx Washington, DC, reps Kirstin Knott, Managing Director and POC for Military Sales, and Bright Alawuru, FedEx rep, who offered logistical expertise and coordinated FedEx vehicles and drivers.

First, a metric was established based on the number of federal agencies that agreed to participate (via online survey), their employee population, the estimated amount of food that each person would provide and the capacity of the boxes used to package the donations. From there, actual transport and dispatch schedules were determined.

FedEx, with its fine-tuned dispatch process, was assigned to pick up partial pallet loads and half-filled food boxes, although the company participation actually began a week earlier when FedEx volunteers were called upon to bring empty supply boxes to several federal agencies.

Military vehicles and drivers also pitched in: 5 trucks from 359th TB Army Reserve Unit; 5 trucks from Army National Guard – Washington, DC; and 3 trucks from US Marine Corps Chemical/Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF). Observers commented that our military members set a stellar example. They serve and protect us all on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq and also in our home town communities by delivering food to hungry children and families.

The Administration hopes that this initiative will serve as a model to cities around the US that are facing similar food bank shortages.

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Volunteer Drivers who supported “Feds Feed Families” and Kirstin Knott. Photo courtesy FedEx.

a time-sensitive manner,” said Dave Smith, senior manager of the Washington, DC FedEx Express Station. “I feel privileged to have this connection with the Government to help give back to needy families.” FedEx fit well with Feds Feed Families because daily delivery is what FedEx does. “We are a small package industry,” Smith said.

“These guys are the pros—when people ask us to move stuff, that’s what we do.”

I had a chance on the first day of pickups to hop on a truck and witness the generosity of the region’s Federal employees from the driver’s seat . . . well, passenger’s seat. Safety is a top priority at FedEx, so after driver Tremayne Woods checked out his truck, he demonstrated how to properly enter the vehicle.

Their delivery trucks are higher off the ground than your average pickup truck, so it’s important to hold on and step up in the right order to avoid falling backward. This elevated position and wide windshield gives the driver a commanding view of the road ahead. It’s tough enough finding a spot to park a car in DC; imagine maneuvering a big delivery truck through the busy city. For Woods, it’s no problem. “I actually have an SUV, SEPTEMBER 2009

so when I drive it on the weekend, I’m like, ‘this is nothing,’” he said.

On the weekends, Woods is a youth coach on his son’s team, and he always jumps at the chance to help out the community when he can. “Anytime an opportunity comes around, my hand goes up,” Woods said. “We deliver your packages every day, but we care, and it’s not just a saying.” FedEx has assisted food drives with equipment and volunteers for years, and the company continues to do so during this economic downturn, making Woods proud to work there. “We’re all tightening up in this economy, and it amazes me that in tough times, FedEx still donates trucks and time to several great causes.”

Security procedures at Federal offices made for an interesting pickup route, but the extra time it took to get through security checkpoints to the boxes of donations didn’t slow Woods down a bit. “Personally, I love it—I have a zeal for delivering packages anyway because something I’m delivering could be very important,” Woods said. “These packages are special because I know they’re going to help people in the community.”

At one of our first stops, we met several Department of Homeland Security employ-

ees who were excited to kick off a summer of service. “Donating food makes me feel great!” said Mission Support Branch Chief Trudy Harris-Williams. “All the difficulties families are having right now, we don’t know—that could be us one day. The Federal families here haven’t been impacted as much, so if we can help, then it feels great.”

The big white FedEx truck continued on to various agencies throughout the city, and though Woods has driven trucks for many years, there are still a few places he hasn’t picked up or dropped off a package yet. “It’s good when a stop comes up on my route that I haven’t been to before; then the next time a co-worker is going that way, I can tell him the best way to get there.” Teamwork, selfless service, loyalty—just a few of the Army Corps Values found among both soldier and civilian transporters.

After a couple hours riding with Woods, I hopped off (safely) and headed over to the Capital Area Food Bank, to see where all these donations were going. The food bank itself is in many ways a central collection point. Various groups hold food drives and give what they’ve gathered

>> Total Federal Agencies Participating: 57 >> Total Population: 210,822 >> Food Drive Pledges (in pounds): 1,023,610 – equivalent to 4/5 items per person >> Transport Metrics (to derive pallet estimate and thus number of trucks required):

Population X 5 lbs/person divided by 200 items/food box divided by 4 boxes/pallet

to the food bank. There, volunteers sort items into groups, and other charitable organizations come to pick up items needed most in their local community.

Ambitious Mike Gillespie was eager to help the area’s homeless when he started working at the food bank almost a decade ago. “What I learned is that only 12.5% of those served are homeless, while 23% of families served by the food bank actually own their home,” Gillespie said. “Also, 8% of our clients are elderly and nearly half of households served have at least one working adult but are struggling.”

“We’re seeing more working families,” said Capital Area Food Bank Senior Food Resource Director Mark Kiriakou.

“A medical bill or some other expense has thrown them into a downspin. Now

they’re faced with a choice: buy food or pay the electric bill.

Federal agencies might not always agree on everything, but they quickly came together on the issue of hunger in the Capital region. Federal employees opened their pantries and FedEx delivered to help Feds Feed Families this summer. On the first collection day of “Feds Feed Families,” US Army soldiers and FedEx drivers picked up more than 27,000 lbs of food from federal agencies around the Capital area. “Each pound of food equals one meal for one person,” Kiriakou said. In effect, Federal workers helped hungry people all around the nation’s capital start the summer with a nutritious meal. See complete results of the “Feds Feed Families” campaign at www.fedsfeedfamilies.gov. DTJ

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www.ndtahq.com | 55

ASSOCIATION NEWS*

*Some articles have been condensed due to limitations in space.

>> ATTENTION DTCI CARRIERS | DTCI OMBUDSMEN APPOINTED USTRANSCOM: Dale Huegen – 618-256-4304

•

dale.huegen@ustranscom.mil

Menlo Worldwide: Mike Nadolski – 703-626-7095

•

nadolski.michael@menloworldwide.com

INDUSTRY NEWS* ACCESS AMERICA TRANSPORT Access America Transport, a leading thirdparty logistics company based in Chattanooga, TN, has been selected as an Inbound Logistics Top 100 Third-Party Logistics Provider for 2009. The editorial staff at Inbound Logistics drew from a pool of more than 500 companies using questionnaires, personal in-

LOGISTICIANS TURN FOCUS FROM BUILDUP TO SUSTAINMENT

By Beth Reece

D

efense Logistics Agency (DLA) employees deployed to Afghanistan are just beginning to see the influx of troops for which they’ve spent six months preparing.

From lumber and cots to repair parts and fuel, DLA support reps at Bagram Air Base and Kandahar Airfield have been busy providing just about everything the nearly 20,000 troops deploying there this summer will need.

Army Maj. Joseph Faris deployed to Afghanistan in January from the Defense Distribution Center in New Cumberland, PA, as the DLA representative to an integrated planning team with members from US Central Command and its service components, the USCENTCOM Distribution and Deployment Operations Center and the Army’s 1st Theater Support Command.

“My mission was to plug DLA support into the planning,” Faris said. “I think it’s 56 |

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*Some articles have been condensed due to limitations in space.

terviews, and in-depth research. “It is always fun being compared to your peers. The last couple years, our services have really grown, and we are now able compete on a global level with all the industry leaders. Our dedicated staff is really focused on making our customers better companies through supply chain optimization, continuous improvement, and streamlining transportation costs,” said Access America Transport president Ted Alling. DTJ

GOVERNMENT NEWS*

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*Some articles have been condensed due to limitations in space.

a key thing for DLA that we got that far into the planning process.”

Supplies will continue flowing in for months to come, but as new units arrive and military operations increase, DLA’s focus will shift from supporting the surge to sustaining it.

Customers will need parts for war-torn equipment and a way to dispose of other materials, so the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service is currently partnering with engineers to de-mine land for a new center at Kandahar Airfield.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Darrell Armstead, a Defense Logistics Information Service employee deployed to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office in Bagram, is already scoring rave reviews for supporting customers throughout the country.

“Armstead took it upon himself to get training from the ground maintenance guys here working on MRAPs so he could go out to our DRMO yard here on base and find the spare parts needed to help get these vehicles back up and running,” Kalp said.

Armstead has helped put about 50 MRAPs back on the road, saving millions of dollars on parts that may have been destroyed or reutilized.

SEPTEMBER 2009

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DLA Director Navy Vice Admiral Alan Thompson discussed Agency support in Afghanistan in a June interview with Military Logistics Forum.

“This is about building the base camps, then building the sustainment for the increase of forces and their equipment,” he said.

“We’re moving material over predominately dirt roads of several hundred miles, through high mountain peaks and under constant insurgent attack. It’s a big challenge, and we work closely with CENTCOM and USTRANSCOM,” he added As troops continue moving into southern Afghanistan, DLA’s presence there will also grow, Faris said.

DLA Support Team – Afghanistan will maintain positions in Bagram, but several team members will be relocated to Kandahar to help plan a much smaller military expansion in the west.

DLA’s work in Afghanistan is a good example, Faris added, of how the Agency’s field activities work together for warfighters’ benefit. “Right now, our customers are pleased with our support,” he said. “They realize that we are a national provider and we bring a ton to the table.” DTJ

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America’s Surface Transportation Network

INFRASTRUCTURE

The Question Is Not Why, It’s When?

Lee Jackson Senior Principal, Perot Systems Travel & Transportation Center of Excellence

I

f you are a regular reader of the DTJ and my Homeland Security column, you are aware that my last few articles have focused on our Nation’s deteriorating infrastructure and the need to address our funding approach to support the infrastructure, as well as the need for development of a National Framework for this infrastructure. Although I cannot take credit for any action that is taking place in this important area, I am happy to report that the Congress and the Administration have begun to pay attention.

RECENT HAPPENINGS • June 17, 2009 – Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stated that the Obama Administration supports an 18-month extension of the current transportation bill, which expires in September.

• June, 18, 2009 – Rep. James Oberstar (D), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, released the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009.

• June 24, 2009 – Rep. Oberstar and Democratic members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure sent a letter to President Obama “expressing profound disappointment in [the] Administration’s proposal to extend the current surface transportation programs for 18 months (through March 31, 2011).”

Needless to say, the current Administration and leaders in Congress have been busy during the month of June. I will briefly summarize what I believe to be the cogent points of each of these issues and how I believe they will impact the future direction of transportation at large.

ISSUE 1 Under the Administration’s plan, if an 18-month extension were granted to the current transportation bill, it would likely include a few minor policy changes, as well as an immediate cash infusion into the Highway Trust Fund, the source of funding for our Nation’s infrastructure. A major drawback in this approach is that States, the primary users of these funds, will be prevented from developing multiyear highway safety and transit programs.

Such programs require long-term funding and time for planning, design, and construction of the projects. With piecemeal funding, as has occurred with past extensions, States will be slow to release and approve project funds, and this slowdown will offset much of the benefit of the increased transportation investment provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111.5).

ISSUE 2 Under the Surface Transportation Authorization Act (STAA) of 2009, the focus is on investment and reform of the system. After decades of underinvestment, “the quality of our transportation system is deteriorating: almost 61,000 miles (37 percent) of all miles on the National Highway System (NHS) are in poor or fair condition; and more than 152,000 bridges, one of every four bridges in the United States are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.”1 This is even more alarming because our Nation’s highways for National Defense, roads the Department of Defense utilizes during national emergencies, are primarily composed of interstates within the NHS. A significant plus of the STAA of 2009 is the fact that it redefines the Fed-

1 Quote from committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, June 24, 2009 - Letter to President Obama 2 IBID

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SEPTEMBER 2009

eral role and restructures Federal surface transportation by consolidating or terminating more than 75 programs, combining the majority of highway funding, and creates a National Transportation Strategic Plan focused on long range planning, intermodal connectivity, and projects of National significance.

ISSUE 3 In Chairman Oberstar and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s letter to President Obama opposing an extension of the current transportation bill, the Committee clearly states their objection to not moving forward with the STAA of 2009, emphasizing the economic impact of such a delay. They state that although “[t]he problems are immense, the solutions, while complex, are at hand. The Committee . . . has prepared for nearly three years to write legislation to provide clear national transportation objectives and the investments necessary to ensure Americans have a surface transportation system to meet their needs in the 21st Century.”2 After my elaboration on the recent actions that have taken place regarding our surface transportation network by this Administration and on Capital Hill just in the month of June, it is likely that the remainder of the summer will be very interesting. Whether or not you support an extension of the current surface transportation programs for 18 months through March 31, 2011, or you support the investments and reforms included within the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, “WE NEED TO ACT AND THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!” DTJ

COL Denny Edwards, USA (Ret.) Pages Future is devoting future content for this page to new ideas. If you have topics you would like to see discussed, please contact Denny Edwards at denny@ndtahq.com.

A

lthough none of us can be too sure about what the immediate future holds for our economy, we here at NDTA have a pretty good idea of what the next year looks like in your Association. First of all, we have a new tagline: The Association for Global Logistics and Transportation. We believe that this should clarify the type and mission of our organization and better describe our membership.

We will continue to provide members with opportunities for professional development, networking, and committee participation.

Looking forward, you can mark your calendars for the reestablishment of the Navy Transportation Symposium in Norfolk at the end of January. NDTA worked with the Navy Operational Logistics Command (NOLSC) for seven years to support this event. It was temporarily suspended in 2005, but now plans

are proceeding to bring it back in 2010. Watch for more details.

The annual SDDC Symposium and NDTA Exposition will be a few weeks earlier this coming Spring, on March 8-11, 2010. The event will be held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Atlanta, GA (same location as last year).

On the subject of tradeshows, we are also excited to be expanding our Educational Pavilion at the NDTA Forum in Nashville this year.

We have invited leading transportation and logistics schools throughout the nation to be our guests at the Forum Expo. We expect they will bring current information about their programs and what they may be developing for the years ahead. We also are inviting all students of transportation from these schools, as well as those from the Nashville area, to be our “guests for a day” at the Nashville Forum. DTJ

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www.ndtahq.com | 59

Challenging Traditions in Maritime Education

By Irvin Varkonyi | ivarkonyi@apus.edu Marketing Manager, Adjunct Professor, Transportation and Logistics, American Military University/American Public University Chair, NDTA Professional Development Subcommittee LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Gain understanding of the changing maritime industry to which maritime academies are reacting • Understand impact of increased regulations set by the Federal Government and International Maritime Organization on education and training • Learn of the shortage of maritime workers • View new simulation capabilities to teach mariners • Learn of multiple online and blended learning systems that expand maritime institutions’ capabilities to train mariners

T

he NDTA Annual Forum in Nashville will see a large gathering of transportation and logistics professionals. True to its mission to provide education, the annual NDTA Forum will offer opportunities to learn the latest in all transport modes, intermodalism, and information exchange. The nation’s security relies not only on the expertise and courage of our warfighters, but also on the ability of our merchant mariners to support our warfighters and maintain the strength of our global supply chain. At the core of the merchant mariners are the young men and women who are coming into the industry.

This past summer saw the inaugural conference of maritime stakeholders challenging the traditions of maritime education. “The International Maritime E-learning” conference hosted by the Calhoon MEBA Engineering School on the idyllic shores of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, brought maritime educators, regulators, and vendors multiple and occasionally contrasting perspectives on preparing the mariners of today and tomorrow.

The training of mariners has become critical for three major reasons: the Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), www.stcw.org, intended to improve the quality of seamen; International Maritime Organization, www.imo.org, and Maritime Trans60 |

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portation Security ACT (MTSA), www. homeport.uscg.mil, efforts intended to mitigate threats to the international maritime trade; and the shortage of mariners.

STCW The International Maritime Organization (IMO) held a convention to improve the worldwide standards for safety and training of professional mariners in 1978. The Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention established a code adopted by many nations in 1978 and was named the Seafarers Training, Certification, & Watchkeeping (STCW) Code. Subsequent conventions were held in 1991, 1994, 1995, and 1997 to update and revise the code (Courtesy Maritime Professional Training).

The Code was established to set certain minimum international training standards for professional mariners. The level of certification and training required is based on the capacity to be served by the mariner and the type of vessel on which they will work.

IMO/MTSA The International Port Security Program (ISPS) has been implemented by the IMO and reinforced by the MTSA, under the supervision of the Maritime Administration. ISPS is a reaction to the events of 9/11 and the realization of the risks of the maritime trade to travelers and the global supply chain. Passed in 2002, it set an implementation schedule that emphasizes the creation of security officers and the training of ship crews, port workers, and other stakeholders in the maritime trade.

SHORTAGE OF MARITIME WORKERS The unnamed person towing the massive fuel barge on the Mississippi River that collided with a 600-foot tanker July 23, 2008, resulting in the spill of 400,000 gallons of fuel oil, did not have the proper license to operate a tugboat. Their training may have also been inadequate.

As the oil settled into the muck of the Mississippi River, some in the maritime industry wondered if the accident is a

SEPTEMBER 2009

symptom of an industry-wide personnel shortage of qualified mariners to pilot boats. “Right now there is a lack of experience out there,” said L.J. Falgout, Vice President of United Tugs, a large towing company in Belle Chasse, LA. The watery world of tug operators has been transformed by new demand for river haulers and stricter rules for vessel operators.

MARITIME INSTITUTIONS The Maritime Industry’s training and educational institutions are close-knit, friendly competitors. These include degree granting four-year institutions such as SUNY Maritime at Ft. Schulyer, NY; Maine Maritime in Castine, ME; US Merchant Marine Academy in King Point, NY; and others in California, Texas, and Michigan. There are non-degree professional institutions focused on preparing mariners for maritime licenses including Meba Calhoon, Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS), and the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, all of which are located in Maryland. And there are private institutions such as Maritime Professional Training in Ft. Lauderdale.

Maritime training is, of course, long established in the nation, with a great tradition incorporating training from the US Navy and US Coast Guard. The demands on mariners from the 1990s through today have changed. Training and educating mariners has changed accordingly based on the pressure of costs, technology, and the source of today’s mariners.

SIMULATION Simulation has advanced rapidly. Major players include Transys and Integrated Marine Simulator. The bridge of a ship is recreated with panoramas up to 360 degrees.

It is a video system similar to IMAX, allowing a complete view in front, on the sides, and in back of the ship’s bridge. Controls are life-like. Different conditions in different ports are created by the touch of a button or a finger on the screen. This saves tremendously on the cost of training and reduction of accidents when training on real vessels. continued on page 64

McCollister’s Transportation has been Touching Base with the Warfighter for more than 50 years. Now that we offer the full suite of Transportation Protective Services, we are honored to be able to provide more ways to support the Warfighter into the future.

McCollister’s is known for designing highly effective transportation solutions. With a national fleet of specialized trailers, McCollister’s experience and asset-based operations provide complete single-source control.

Warfighter Support • Transportation Protective Services • Total Asset Visibility Project Management • Critical and Time Definite Moves • Custom Equipment Climate and Humidity Control • Rocket Motor Transport Turnkey Packages For Oversize Loads

...Just Touching Base

HONOR ROLL

OF

SUSTAINING MEMBERS AND REGIONAL PATRONS

ALL OF THESE FIRMS SUPPORT THE PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES OF NDTA

SUSTAINING MEMBERS AAR Mobility Systems ABF Freight System, Inc. Air Transport Assn. of America Air Transport International, LLC AIT Worldwide Logistics, Inc. All State Express American Maritime Officers American Public University System American Trucking Associations American United Logistics ARINC Army Air Force Exchange Service Arven Freight Forwarding, Inc. Associated Global Systems Baggett Transportation Co. BNSF Railway Co. Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co., Inc. Boyle Transportation Cargo Transport Systems Co. Carlson Hotels Worldwide Chalich Trucking, Inc. Chamber of Shipping of America Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation CRST International, Inc. CSC Crowley Maritime Corp.

CWT SatoTravel C2 Freight Resources, Inc. Delta Air Lines, Inc. Dynamics Research Corp.

Enterprise Database Corporation

REGIONAL PATRONS AAAA Forwarding, Inc. Access America Transport, Inc. Acme Truck Line, Inc. Advantage Rent-A-Car AFC Worldwide Express American Moving & Storage Assn.

Association of American Railroads Asynchrony Solutions, Inc. Avis Budget Group AWARDCO Freight Management Group, Inc. BEC Industries, LLC Benchmarking Partners C5T Corporation Cardinal Transport, Inc. The Cartwright Companies Center for the Commercial Deployment of Transportation Technologies (CCDoTT) Ceres Terminals, Inc. C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Chassis King C.L. Services, Inc. Coastal Maritime Stevedoring, LLC

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Enterprise Rent-A-Car Fikes Truck Line GE Aviation General Dynamics/American Overseas Marine GeoDecisions Global Maritime & Trans. School-USMMA Greatwide Truckload Management Hi-G-Tek, Inc. Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) Intermarine, LLC International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO Intl. Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots ITLT Solutions, Inc. Interstate Distributor Co. JB Hunt Transport, Inc. KGL Transportation Co. Kansas City Southern Keystone Shipping Company Knight Transportation Kuehne + Nagel, Inc. Liberty Maritime Corporation LMI Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. M2 Transport Mack Trucks, Inc. ManTech International Corp.

Martin Logistics, Inc. Matson Navigation Co., Inc.

Mayflower Transit McCollister’s Transportation Systems, Inc. Marine Engineer’s Benefits Association Menlo Worldwide Mercer Transportation Co. Mobility Resource Associates MPRI, a division of L-3com National Air Carrier Assn., Inc. National Van Lines New England Motor Freight, a Shevell Group Co. North Carolina State Ports Authority Numerex NYK Logistics Americas OAG Ocean Shipholdings, Inc. Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Omega World Travel Omni Air International, Inc. OSG Ship Management, Inc. Overdrive Logistics, Inc. Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Pacer Transport Perot Systems Corporation Pilot Freight Services Port of Beaumont Powersource Transportation, Inc. Pratt & Whitney PRTM Management Consultants, LLC Priority Solutions International RAITH-CTS Logistics

Ravens Group, Inc., The Sammons Trucking Savi, a Lockheed Martin Company Sealed Air Corp.

Sealift, Inc. Seafarers Int’l Union of N.A. AGLIWD Sea Star Line, LLC Southeast Vocational Alliance Southwest Airlines SRA International, Inc. Stanley Associates, Inc. SSA Marine Textainer Equipment Management TQL Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. (TOTE) Transportation Institute Transportation Intermediaries Assn. (TIA) Tri-State Motor Transit, Co., (TSMT) TTX Company Tucker Company Union Pacific Railroad United Airlines UPS Freight United Van Lines, Inc. University of Kansas, Transportation Research Institute UTi Worldwide, Inc. VT Halter Marine, Inc. Wagler Integrated Logistics, LLC XIO Strategies, Inc.

Corporate Flight Management CSI Aviation Services, Inc. Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council (DERMEC) Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group EADS North America Europcar Car & Truck Rental Executive Apartments, Inc. Federated Software Group FlightWorks Fox Rent A Car General Freight Services, Inc./ Coyote Logistics LLC Great American Lines, Inc. Green Valley Transportation Corp.

GTS Group Hilton Hotels Corporation Holiday Inn Executive Center, Virginia Beach The Howland Group, Inc. HudsonMann, Inc. Hyatt Hotels and Resorts The Indiana Rail Road Company Kalitta Charters, LLC Korman Communities AKA a division

Labelmaster Software Leadership Logistics & Consulting, LLC Liberty Global Logistics LLC Limitless International, Inc. Logistics Management Resources, Inc. LTD Management Company, LLC MacGREGOR (USA), Inc. Marriott International McLane Advanced Technologies MCR Federal, LLC (MCR) MBA | Morten Beyer & Agnew Naniq Systems, LLC NCI Information Systems, Inc. Oakwood Corporate Worldwide ODINTechnologies Panalpina Patriot Contract Services, LLC Payless Car Rental Philadelphia Regional Port Authority Port of Port Arthur Port of San Diego PowerTrack, US Bank Quality Support, Inc. R+L Global Services

Reckart Logistics, Inc. Rentacrate LLC Royal Trucking Company Scan Logistix, Inc. Seabridge, Inc. Sea Box, Inc. Silk Road Air & Logistics SkyLink—(USA) SLT Expressway SR International Logistics, Inc. Stratos Jet Charters, Inc. Trailer Bridge, Inc. Trailways Transportation System Transcar GmbH Trans Global Logistics Europe GmbH TRI-STATE Expedited Service, Inc. Truva International Transportation & Logistics Unimasters Logistics PLC US Suites Utley, Inc. The Virginian Suites Veteran Enterprise Technology Services, LLC Yurtiçi Logistics Supply Chain Management and Distribution Inc.

Defense Transportation Journal

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Agility Defense & Government Services + PLUS American Shipping & Logistics Group (ASL) + PLUS APL Limited + PLUS Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings + PLUS Bennett Motor Express + PLUS Choice Hotels International + PLUS CEVA Logistics + PLUS FedEx + PLUS Global Aviation Holdings, Inc. + PLUS Horizon Lines, Inc. + PLUS IBM + PLUS InterContinental Hotels Group + PLUS Landstar System, Inc. + PLUS Maersk Line, Limited + PLUS National Air Cargo + PLUS Panther Expedited Services, Inc. + PLUS Ports America Group + PLUS Rock-It Cargo USA, LLC + PLUS Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) + PLUS Universal Truckload Services, Inc. + PLUS YRC Worldwide + PLUS Accenture American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier, LLC The Boeing Company Booz Allen Hamilton Bristol Associates CorTrans Logistics, LLC CSX Transportation DB Schenker DHL Global Forwarding Evergreen International Airlines, Inc. Hapag-Lloyd USA, LLC The Hertz Corporation

International Shipholding Corp.

Lockheed Martin Norfolk Southern Corporation Northrop Grumman Corporation The Pasha Group Qualcomm Incorporated R&R Trucking SkyBitz Team Worldwide UPS UTXL, Inc.

These corporations are a distinctive group of NDTA Members who, through their generous support of the Association, have dedicated themselves to supporting an expansion of NDTA programs to benefit our members and defense transportation preparedness.

www.ndtahq.com | 63

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Dr. Kent N. Gourdin

Humanitarian Logistics Humanitarian Logistics, by Rolando Tomasini and Luk van Wassenhove, ISBN-10 0230205755, Published by Palgrade Macmillan, March 2009, $45.00, hardcover, 256pp.

A

lthough the benefits of viewing the firm’s logistics activities as a system that must be managed as a whole are well known, applying those principles to multiple organizations such that each integrates their logistics system into a cohesive supply chain is extremely challenging. For those able to do it, supply chain management practices offer significant benefits in the form of better customer service and lower logistics costs. Indeed, these same principles are now being applied to the non-profit sector as well. For example, imagine planning an event like the Olympics. Now

continued from page 5

year that I have now been retired longer than I served on active duty, so being kept abreast of the latest developments overseas has become increasingly important to me as a way of keeping current and connected to my roots, as it were.

In addition, learning about the latest technological advances is always an important take-away from the Forum. This year, sessions on Web2.0 and Security Best Practices and Technology for Global Transportation and Logistics will provide attendees with the latest developments in logistics technology. Similarly, this issue of the DTJ contains a special article on developments

imagine planning the same event but not knowing when or where it will take place, or how many will attend. This is what humanitarian logisticians are up against.

Oversights result in serious consequences for the victims of disasters, so planners have to get it right—fast. Despite this urgency of need, implementing these principles in practice is incredibly difficult, especially in remote parts of the world as evidenced by recent natural disasters in China and southern Asia. One only needs to recall the suffering in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, however, to appreciate that these challenges exist in the United States as well. This book comprehensively covers the problems of humanitarian logistics and raises some interesting issues regarding the importance of, and difficulties associated with, planning for the unthinkable. DTJ in RFID, which should provide the basis for much discussion both within these meetings and informally among attendees.

Finally, while the “business” portion of the Forum is so valuable, so is the social side. Greeting old friends (many of whom I only see at the Forum), making new ones, and generally spending almost a week with folks who “talk” defense transportation and logistics is a heck of a lot of fun. Factor in the golf tournament, the vender exhibits, and the facility tours, and you have a gathering that is both personally and professionally rewarding. I guess that’s why so many of us come back year after year! I hope you all enjoy your time in Nashville; I know I will! DTJ

DTJ INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Admiral Merchants........................ pg. 49 Agility............................................... pg. 37 American Military University....... pg. 55 APL...................................................... pg. 8 ARC.................................................... pg. 51 Avis...................................................... pg. 5 Bennett International Group......... pg. 39 Boyle Transportation........................ pg. 6 Choice Hotels.................................. pg. 11 Comtech Mobile Datacom............ pg. 45

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DHL Global Forwarding................. pg. 12 FedEx..................................................Cov4 FedEx Custom Critical................... pg. 33 Hi-G-Tek........................................... pg. 25 Horizon Lines................................... pg. 41 InterContinental Hotels Group..... pg. 28 Landstar............................................ pg. 31 LimitLess International.................. pg. 15 Maersk Line, Limited....................... pg. 1 Mainfreight...................................... pg. 10

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Mayflower......................................... pg. 2 McCollister’s Transportation........ pg. 61 ODIN Technologies.................. pg. 21, 23 Pasha................................................ pg. 47 Pilot Freight Services.................... pg. 57 Perot Systems................................. pg. 59 SAIC....................................................Cov3 Savi.................................. Cov2, pg. 18, 19 Transportation Institute................. pg. 52

E-LEARNING There are multiple models used as the academies and other maritime institutions seek to better prepare mariners with greater quality of preparation and at lower costs.

Dan Noonan, Arclight Technologies and a retired 20-year merchant marine captain notes the advantages of virtual learning systems. These involved the application of technical standards, privacy of learning, uniform quality of training, and sustainability of training into the future. Noonan also points to the qualification and training of instructors as a key to insuring quality of training. E-learning models include: • Web-based systems – Self-contained modules available on a host site, generally without instructors or follow up.

• Distance learning, video-based systems – Offered in real time, with a lecture and interactivity with students.

• Asynchronous web-based systems – Course content available at host institution’s website, with non–real time interaction between instructor and among students. Systems are enhanced with video and internet links.

• Blended systems – Combining traditional in-class learning with one or more online models, allowing self learning where appropriate and group exchange where beneficial.

SUMMARY The changing conditions for maritime security and safety are emphasizing formal training to a greater degree than in past decades. The impact of technology has been significant during the past decade and will continue to be so when training mariners. As the maritime industry competes with other industries for young men and women, education and training will need to address how these students best learn. Mariners’ conditions are difficult at sea, but their importance in supporting our warfighters and our nation is critical, thus the imperative to sell young people on a maritime career. Student expectations for training utilize technology such as simulations and e-learning. The unique requirements of the industry favors blended learning with hands on experience at the maritime institutions and online learning. DTJ

Science Applications International Corporation delivered, prepared, and fielded over 9,000 MRAP militar y vehicles in one year. Our fast and ef ficient joint logistics integration program provides solutions from C4ISR electronics networks to analy tics to total asset visibilit y. Smar t people solving hard problems.

For detailed information, visit www.saic.com/logistics

Energy I Environment I National Security I Health I Critical Infrastructure Š 2009 Science Applications International Corporation. All rights reser ved.

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