Logistics Modernization (LOGMOD) and Feeds to MAGTF Command and Control (C2) - Interim Guidance and Road Ahead

1. PURPOSE. PER THE REFS, TO ISSUE INTERIM GUIDANCE
PERTAINING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOGISTICS MODERNIZATION AND C2
CAPABILITY TOOLS FOR NEAR TERM USE. THIS IS A COORDINATED I&L,
MCCDC, C4, AND MARCORSYSCOM MESSAGE.
2. BACKGROUND. OIF HAS REINFORCED THAT THE LOGISTICIAN HAS A
PAUCITY OF COMM ASSETS AND CAPABILITIES THAT INHIBITS SUPPORT TO
MAGTF LOGISTICS OPERATIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, LOGISTICIANS HAVE BEEN
FORCED OUTSIDE THE MARINE CORPS' COMBAT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS TO
QUICKLY ACQUIRE MUCH NEEDED CAPABILITIES TO MEET TODAY'S MISSION. 
3. DISCUSSION. 
A. THE GLOBAL COMBAT SUPPORT SYSTEM - MARINE CORPS (GCSS-MC) WILL
PROVIDE MODERN, DEPLOYABLE IT TOOLS FOR SUPPORTED AND SUPPORTING
UNITS. ADDITIONALLY, OUR LOG OPERATIONAL ARCHITECTURE (OA) REVAMPS
OUR LOGISTICS PROCESSES BY IMPLEMENTING LOGISTICS CHAIN MANAGEMENT
CONCEPTS IN AN OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT-SERVICE, NAVAL, AND JOINT. 
THE LOG OA IS BEING INTEGRATED WITH THE MAGTF C2 ARCHITECTURE AT
MCCDC. 
B. THE FY 08 FIELDING OF GCSS-MC LOGISTICS CHAIN MANAGEMENT (LCM)
BLOCK 1 WILL PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTION-LEVEL CAPABILITY IN
SUPPLY, MAINT, REQUEST/ORDER MANAGEMENT, AND SOME CSS PLANNING. OIF
HAS SHOWN WE ALSO NEED VISIBILITY, TRACKING, AND LOG PLANNING TOOLS.
 THE ONLY LOG PLANNING AND EXECUTION TOOL PROGRAM OF RECORD IS
COMMON LOGISTICS COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM (CLC2S). SOME TOOLS ARE
PLANNED FOR GCSS-MC LCM BLOCKS 2 & 3. CONSEQUENTLY, MANY UNITS ARE
USING TOOLS SUCH AS THE BATTLE COMMAND SUSTAINMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM
(BCS3), LAST TACTICAL MILE INTRANSIT VISIBILITY (LTMITV) - WAREHOUSE
TO WARFIGHTER (W2W)), VERY SMALL APERATURE TERMINALS (VSAT), CSS
AUTOMATED INFORMATION SYSTEM INTERFACE (CAISI), LOGISTICS SUPPORT
WIDE AREA NETWORK (LSWAN), TRANSPORTATION CAPACITY PLANNING TOOL
(TCPT), FORCE XXI BATTLE COMMAND BRIGADE AND BELOW/BLUE FORCE 
TRACKER (FBC2/BFT), COMMAND AND CONTROL PERSONAL COMPUTER (C2PC) 
SOON TO BE KNOWN AS JOINT TACTICAL COP WORKSTATION (JTCW),
MOVEMENT TRACKING SYSTEM (MTS), GLOBAL RELIEF TECHNOLOGIES (GRT),
AND OTHERS. SOME OF THESE TOOLS SUPPORT AND PROVIDE AN EASY
TRANSITION TO OUR FUTURE OPERATIONAL ARCHITECTURE WHILE OTHERS DO
NOT. 
C. TO SUPPORT INCREASED VISIBILITY OF MATERIEL DISTRIBUTION ACROSS
THE BATTLEFIELD, THE FOLLOWING LOGISTICS INFORMATION SYSTEMS (LIS)
AND/OR COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY ENABLERS, WHICH ARE CURRENTLY NOT
FORMALLY IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE USMC LIS PORTFOLIO/PROGRAMS OF RECORD
FOR OPERATIONAL AND TACTICAL LEVEL UNITS, ARE DEEMED TO BE IN
CONSONANCE WITH THE FUTURE LOG OA, AND ARE PERMISSIBLE FOR CONTINUED
USE WITHIN THE OPERATING FORCES IN ADVANCE OF GCSS-MC FIELDING: 
(1) BCS3
(2) C2PC
(3) FBCB2/BFT
(4) TCPT
(5) W2W 
(6) LSWAN [SEE NOTE]
[NOTE: LOGISTICS REQUIREMENTS FOR A STAND ALONE VSAT CAPABILITY
SUPPORTING OIF WILL REMAIN UNTIL A MORE ROBUST NIPRNET IS DEVELOPED
WITHIN THE THEATER. OIF FORCES SHOULD CONTINUE TO FUND CAISI/VSAT
BEYOND 31 OCT 05 UNTIL LSWAN COMPLETELY SATISFIES THIS REQUIREMENT
TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE OPERATING FORCES.]
D. SYSTEMS NOT APPEARING ON THE ABOVE LIST, INCLUDING MTS, M4
PHONES, AND GRT, ARE NOT DEEMED IN CONSONANCE WITH THE FUTURE
DESIRED DIRECTION UNDER THE LOG OA, AND WILL NOT BE PURSUED BEYOND
THE CURRENT LIMITED SCOPE IMPLEMENTATIONS THAT EXIST IN THE
OPERATING FORCES.
E. FOR THE SYSTEMS LISTED PARA 3C, AFTER HQMC(I&L) HAS VALIDATED THE
REQUIREMENT (UUNS, UNS), MCSC WILL COORDINATE WITH THIS HQS, THE
OPERATING FORCES, AND TECOM TO ESTABLISH STANDARD BUSINESS
PROCESSES, TRAINING CURRICULUM, AND TRAINING ASSESSMENTS.
4. ROAD AHEAD.
A. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, DC, I&L AND THE GCSS-MC PROGRAM MANAGER
WILL REVIEW PROPOSED LOGISTICS INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND PRODUCTS
OBTAINED OUTSIDE THE COMBAT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR ADHERENCE TO OUR
LOG OA AND CRITICALITY TO PROCURE AHEAD OF PLANNED TIMELINES. 
URGENT REQUIREMENTS WILL RECEIVE EXPEDITED REVIEW. UNITS WILL
CONTACT POC AT BEGINNING OF MESSAGE FOR TECHNICAL ANALYSIS, PRIOR TO
COMMITMENT OF FUNDING, FOR ANY PRODUCT NOT LISTED IN PARA 3C ABOVE. 
UNITS WILL CEASE CONTACTING OTHER SVC PM(S) DIRECTLY. FOR UNITS
THAT DO NOT HAVE THE SYSTEMS AND TOOLS OUTLINED IN THIS MESSAGE,
UNDERSTAND THIS SITUATION HAS ARISEN DUE TO A MASSIVE INFLUX OF
FUNDING DIRECTLY TO OPERATING FORCES PREPARING TO DEPLOY IN SUPPORT
OF SUBSEQUENT ITERATIONS OF OIF.
B. HQMC IS ATTEMPTING TO "LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD" THROUGH THE
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS. IF UNIT OR FORCE FUNDING IS
AVAILABLE, PROV POC ABOVE A DETAILED LIST OF PROPOSED PURCHASE
PRIOR TO PROCUREMENT. 
C. FOR UNITS DESIRING LSWAN AND/OR FBCB2/BFT ASSETS, UNDERSTAND THAT
PRODUCTION LEADTIMES AND COMPETING FIELDING PRIORITIES MEAN THAT NEW
REQUESTS WILL PROBABLY NOT BE FILLED UNTIL SPRING 2006. AT THIS
TIME, LSWAN AND FBCB2/BFT ARE ONLY OPERATIONALLY CAPABLE FOR
TRAINING IN CONUS AND OPERATIONS IN OIF/OEF. IN THE EVENT OF A NEW
CONTINGENCY WARRANTING ACTIVATION OF A JTF, LSWAN SATELLITE
REQUIREMENTS WILL NEED TO BE COORDINATED PRIOR TO DEPLOYMENT TO
ENSURE APPROPRIATE SATELLITE COVERAGE IS PROVIDED BY DISA. FOR
FBCB2/BFT, THE EXPECTATION IS THAT A BFT NETWORK WILL BE SETUP AFTER
COORDINATION WITH HHQ TO ACTIVATE COVERAGE. THE MARINE CORPS AND
ARMY WILL BE INTEROPERABLE VIA THE BFT NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER,
AND THOUGH THE COMMON USE OF FBCB2 AND INTEROPERABLE TRANSPORT LAYER
CIRCUITS, SUCH AS EHF OR SHF SATCOM.
D. TO BETTER ACQUAINT OPERATING FORCE STAKEHOLDERS WITH THE SYSTEMS 
AND TOOLS MENTIONED IN PARA 3.C, A SUMMIT OCURRED 19-22 SEP 05 AT CLNC. 
PURPOSE WAS TO DEMONSTRATE THESE SYSTEMS AND OBTAIN OPERATING 
FORCE BUY-IN THAT THEY REPRESENT A 70 PERCENT OR BETTER SOLUTION TO 
OUR LOG C2 CHALLENGES. WELL OVER 50 REPRESENTATIVES OF MEF CE, GCE, 
ACE AND LCE G3, G4 AND G6 COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE CORPS MET AND 
CONCURRED IN THIS FOCUSED APPROACH TO REDUCE PROLIFERATION OF LIS 
AND TECHNOLOGY ENABLERS IN ADVANCE OF GCSS-MC LCM BLOCK ONE FIELDING 
IN FY-2008. CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS WILL FOLLOW IN SEPARATE MARADMIN.
5. CONCLUSION. OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS TO SATISFY OUR DAY-TO-DAY
REQUIREMENTS, WHILE KEEPING A FOCUS ON OUR DESIRED FUTURE
CAPABILITIES. TO THAT END, UNITS MUST CONTINUE TO COORDINATE
ANY/ALL ACTIONS WITH THE POC LISTED ABOVE TO ENSURE A SMOOTH
TRANSITION FROM TODAY TO THE FUTURE.