Core Workload Workshop Comes to the ILSC

By Kevin LagowskiDecember 14, 2023

TYAD personnel make repairs inside the depot’s Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar anechoic chamber.
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TYAD personnel work to prepare AN/VRC-148 radio kits.
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – TYAD personnel work to prepare AN/VRC-148 radio kits. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Integrated Logistics Support Center (ILSC) Logistics and Technical Support Directorate (LTSD), in conjunction with Department of the Army (DA) G4, organized a ‘Core Logistics Capabilities Workload Workshop’ on 20 – 21 September 2023 at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD in an effort to share their processes and procedures related to data verification requirements with the workforce. This workshop was the first of its kind and will set the tone for yearly verification requirements.

ILSC Subject Matter Experts, Mr. Keith Orach and Mr. Edward Jordan, led the discussions and presentations during the workshop, as attendees engaged in interactive visual demonstrations on the subject matter. Other experts joined on MS Teams to lend their experience to the workshop, as well.

This ‘look under the hood’ of core depot maintenance workload requirements helped to show the ILSC workforce how important accurate data is to the mission, as unverified or even slightly incorrect data has the potential to cause large discrepancies with budgeting or workload constraints if requirements are either over- or underestimated. Efforts like this help to increase priority and understanding across the board as subject matter experts gain expertise related to workload and policy. During the two-day workshop, DA G4 presented an update to Lines of Effort and the significance of ensuring that proper data elements are captured within the Logistics Modernization Program to project accurate core requirements for depots.

According to Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 4151.20, “The required core capabilities and depot maintenance workloads necessary to sustain those capabilities will be calculated by Military Services and then aggregated to determine the overall DoD core requirements.” As such, accurate validation of data must occur in order to inform critical decisions. DoDI 4151.20 goes on to explain, stating “The workforce required to sustain core capabilities should be structured to ensure that depot maintenance activities can accommodate required workloads within the time constraints imposed by the strategic and contingency plans prepared by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” This entire process starts with depot personnel, Logistics Management Specialists, and other key individuals identifying the data elements to calculate minimum depot maintenance workload requirements to retain skillsets and posture the depots to surge for Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO).

LTSD’s Core Team accomplishes its purpose by coordinating with Weapon System Directorates to verify data points necessary for proper calculations, which confirms system-wide compliance and accuracy. AN/PSS-12 and 14 mine detectors; radios such as SINCGARS and AN/PRC-103, 117F, and 117G; radar systems such as AN/TPQ-53; and various computers are just some of the important pieces of equipment that go through this rigorous evaluation.

The validation and verification performed by ILSM and depot personnel is vital to making sure our projects have the proper staff and budgeting to meet mission requirements. And the inaugural Core Logistics Capabilities Workload Workshop was an excellent way for the ILSC workforce to grasp just how much effort goes into the program and how precise the calculations must be to ensure that the needs of the Warfighter are met.

According to Mr. Orach, “As a result of the outstanding participation and findings during the workshop, the core team was able to reduce TYAD’s core projection for Fiscal Year (FY) 23 from 2.34 million Depot Level Hours (DLH) to 1.26 million DLHs. This reduction of over 1 million DLHs improved TYAD’s core execution from 27% to 50% for FY23. These findings also showed a significant reduction in systems that the ILSC is repairing at TYAD due to obsolescence and legacy systems being removed from Army inventory. TYAD in partnership with ILSC is working with AMC leadership to request expansion of Core LOE 3 to add additional core capabilities such as Micro-electronics, software support and development, engineering development and sustainment with incoming workloads, direct project management support, and mission facility installation modernization.”

LTSD’s leadership and the Core Team are extremely grateful to all who participated in this valuable exercise.