1. 1 Sense & Respond Logistics David Schrady 22 ISMOR 1 September 2005

2. 2 Sense & Respond Logistics Promoted by OSD Office of Force Transformation (OFT) OFT says “Sense & Respond is the application of network-centric thinking to logistics”

3. 3 Sense and Respond “Sense & Respond is based on highly adaptive, self-synchronizing, dynamically reconfigurable demand and supply networks” “Innovative co-evolutionary techniques are being employed”

4. 4 Timely Course Announcement If you’ve seen briefs on FORCEnet, Effects Based Operations, Future Combat System and Sense and Respond Logistics and suspect the briefer’s understanding is no deeper than Powerpoint, then this course is for you. Alidade Institute presents The Fundamentals of Information Age Warfare The Action Officer Seminar As you sit through yet another overly simplistic brief on how net-centricity will supposedly transform your program or project, do you Think Network Centric Warfare ignores the realities of combat and is based solely on the hype and promise of IT sales-speak? If so, you are not alone. For almost 10 years, military professionals have struggled to define the mechanisms behind Network Centric Warfare. Clouding the issue are industry teams eager to nurse from the net-centric cash-cow and high-priced consultants with more jargon than science behind their billable hours.

5. 5 Sense & Respond Why is it needed? What is Sense & Respond Logistics operationally? What are the system requirements for Sense & Respond Logistics?

6. 6 Historically If Sense & Respond is a new approach, what is the model that it is to replace? Historically it has been a mass-based logistics system, the iron mountain, sensible when: uncertain about nature of conflict and its duration, and can’t always locate your stocks of logistics commodities If you have enough stuff, the uncertainties won’t matter: ODS

7. 7 Distribution Distribution is moving commodities from the iron mountain to the warfighter (customer) as needed “Push” and “Pull” are the existing schemes Push to the customer what you think he needs Wait for the customer to tell you (pull) what is needed

8. 8 Push Distribution 173 rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam - ammo push packages Minimum requirement is knowing customer’s location Even with good planning factors on average, push will produce shortages and surpluses day to day because it isn’t adaptive

9. 9 Pull Distribution Wait for customer to ask for what he needs Minimum requirement is that customer and logisticians can communicate Push system is reactive rather than proactive Neither Push nor Pull are Sense & Respond Evaluation of logistics support in OIF and whether minimum requirements met

10. 10 Logistics in OIF Army 3 rd ID OIF after-action report says “ongoing problems in re-supplying fuel and ammo continually threatened operations;” “logisticians were unable to monitor movement of and maintain communications with forces on the battlefield” Marines had same problems

11. 11 Army in OIF Army DCSLOG: “Army’s logisticians can’t see what is needed on the battlefield, can’t respond rapidly when they do find out what is needed, and can’t distribute what they have when it is needed.” Clearly the Army was not using S&R in OIF Logistic comms by line-of-sight radios inadequate for maneuver warfare

12. 12 Assessment Logisticians have not been provided situation awareness, communications, or visibility of warfighter assets C2 systems focused on warfighter, not provided to logisticians, void of logistics info

13. 13 Assessment Lack of Common Operating Picture means logisticians don’t know where their customers are located or what they are doing 30-55 times as much bandwidth in OIF than in ODS, but logistics didn’t benefit Operational commanders complained about information overload, logisticians operated in digital desert

14. 14 Sense & Respond With S&R, logistician relies on information, communication, and transportation With S&R, logistics is more nimble, more intelligent, and more responsive If logisticians can sense, they will respond

15. 15 Sense Sensing requirements include: –Communications with customers –Geographic location of customers –What customers are doing –Visibility of Customer levels of fuel, ammo, water and provisions –Own assets (TAV) and those flowing-in (ITV) –Status and location of distribution assets

16. 16 Army Experimental Force 1997 exercises involving 1 st Brigade, 4 th ID Vehicle fuel and ammo levels, along with location autonomously sensed and transmitted back to commanders and logisticians This sensing technology and bandwidth have not been procured

17. 17 Respond With sensing there would be no push Logisticians anticipate customer needs based on knowledge of current location, operations and assets Confirmation by direct communication Plan for distribution (response) prior to customer request

18. 18 Cultural Change Beyond providing logisticians with automated sensing, communications, and a shared common operating picture inclusive of logistics, the warfighter, in his own self- interest, must facilitate rather than ignore logistics

19. 19 Sea Basing Requires Sense and Respond Logistics Cannot build an iron mountain at sea Velocity must replace mass Forces ashore must be mobile and replenished with what they need, when they need it This requires Sense & Respond Logistics

20. 20 QED