To stay agile and resilient when it comes to its mission of supporting and sustaining the Warfighter in the field, the CECOM Integrated Logistics Support Center (ILSC) has embraced the concepts of telemaintenance and value engineering.
Telemaintenance pilot programs are a key initiative of CECOM, which is currently coordinating with stakeholders to refine this process. The ILSC is doing its part by connecting with field-level Soldiers using phones, MS Teams chat, and videoconferencing systems to deliver real-time remote maintenance solutions by these methods, whenever possible. And the systematic, problem-solving technique of Value Engineering has shown to be successful at increasing customer satisfaction by improving the total life-cycle costs of products and processes. The ILSC’s ongoing commitment in this area is helping to provide better performance and safer, more reliable services to the end user.
Both topics were prominent on the agenda at the ILSC’s recent Town Hall, Cultivating Vision, as ILSC leadership briefed the workforce about current endeavors and the Center-wide importance of continued success in these areas. Speaking about telemaintenance, ILSC Military Deputy COL Trina Lee and Readiness and Field Support Associate Director Mr. James Riseley provided a breakdown of ILSC efforts during the last three months of CY23 as the Center engages to meet the emerging demands of contested logistics with speed, range, mass, and convergence at the point of need.
ILSC telemaintenance usage intensified during this time frame, with over 2,800 hours of telemaintenance reported as the ILSC supported numerous systems, including Joint Battle Command-Platform, the Phoenix satellite terminal system, the Secure, Mobile, Anti-Jam, Reliable, Tactical Terminal, the Very Small Aperture Terminal, and multiple models of radios. The ILSC is just scratching the surface with telemaintenance capabilities at this point in time, as they look forward to refining their processes and providing even greater support in the near future while also balancing the concern of remaining fully secure while doing so. Said COL Lee about how the urgency of the situation has shifted, “Dispersed contested logistics with a near-peer adversary makes all the difference. There are innovative, creative ways that we can employ to help the Warfighter while not compromising cybersecurity in order to perform maintenance.”
Mr. Riseley expounded on the ongoing evolution of secure telemaintenance, stating “The maintenance of security is non-negotiable. It ultimately comes down as being one of the more critical things that is involved in C5ISR. We must be secure, and we can’t let our enemies know what we are doing. Issues will be addressed and, as we change, policy and technology decisions will allow us to ensure that our system is secure but also able to be maintained.”
Following the discussion about telemaintenance, Acquisition and Programs Assistant Associate Director Mr. Lee Straube talked about Value Engineering, a problem solving technique that helps to increase customer satisfaction and can improve value in ways such as reliability, quality, safety, durability, and effectiveness. Of particular note, Mr. Straube elaborated on the Failure Reporting Analysis and Corrective Action System (FRACAS), an innovative way of driving solutions forward to save time and money which then allows organizations to reinvest savings into unfunded or underfunded requirements. According to Mr. Straube, “We will look at the resulting obsolescence reports, being proactive rather than reactive to accomplish this.” This agile mindset will greatly aid the ILSC’s sustainment efforts.
To illustrate this, Mr. Straube pointed to the particular case of Driver’s Vision Enhancer (DVE) screens, which were frequently coming in for repairs. Using a visual example, he demonstrated the inexpensive screen protector fix that was devised to completely prevent a recurrence of the issue going forward. Along with Value Concepts Office Project Lead Ms. Leticia Williams, Mr. Straube encouraged the workforce to get involved if they have innovative ideas so that they can be fleshed out by Subject Matter Experts to determine feasibility.
Through initiatives like telemaintenance and Value Engineering, the information brought forth by ILSC leadership at their latest Town Hall was a vital reminder to the workforce that we are all in the business of supporting the Warfighter together.
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