Modern warfare demands seamless coordination and interoperability among multinational forces for effective partnerships. Logistics, often referred to as the lifeblood of military operations, is a critical factor in ensuring joint and multinational mission success. The Army must have logistics that can positively impact the decision making of command and control (C2) in sustainment operations. At the core of effective logistics is accurate, relevant, timely, and robust data. In joint and multinational environments, data must also be sharable to exploit its full potential.
In the U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) area of operations, efforts are ongoing that serve to validate the use of common data standards to allow data to flow up, down, and across commands and echelons, regardless of national affiliation, to ensure effective logistics C2 for mission success in global sustainment operations. Recognizing the challenges of coalition operations, Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) G-4 leads transformative initiatives to integrate sustainment and logistics systems, placing the Army at the forefront of innovation.
One of these efforts is ongoing within USAREUR-AF to enhance data interoperability with NATO and partner nations by bridging the gap between U.S. systems and NATO’s Logistics Functional Area Services (LOGFAS). LOGFAS stands as a cornerstone of NATO’s sustainment framework that serves as a comprehensive sustainment C2 system. It is an essential element for joint and multinational mission success. However, LOGFAS relies on data integration from national systems to achieve its full potential. Historically, this integration has been hampered by manual processes and incompatible data formats because allied systems have been incompatible with each other.
To combat these incompatibility issues, HQDA G-4 has developed and implemented the Joint Enterprise Data Interoperability (JEDI) concept of operations (CONOPS), a strategic blueprint that focuses on establishing a unified logistics environment capable of meeting the demands of today’s high-tempo operational environments. JEDI synchronizes inputs into the LOGFAS ontology from U.S. information systems for global application. The JEDI concept was designed to solve data interoperability problems, and the JEDI-X solution, developed by NATO subject matter experts at Nexus Life Cycle Management, serves as an instantiation of that concept. JEDI-X has been used in theater as an operationalized data product. It was designed from the start to comply with common data standards for maximized logistics interoperability, regardless of Service or nation. It represents one globally applicable solution for standardizing logistics data flows and improving efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness.
The key innovation of the JEDI concept that the JEDI-X platform operationalizes lies in JEDI-X’s ability to enable 1-to-1 data product integration using open data standards. For example, U.S. European Command uses the Joint Operation Planning and Execution System (JOPES) to process and organize the necessary data for joint U.S. operations in the European theater. JEDI-X has been successfully used to transform data from JOPES into the LOGFAS data product and the Allied Deployment and Movement System, ensuring a seamless flow of information. This capability provides staff sections with a unified planning perspective that aligns with NATO’s operational requirements. Such integration supports early identification of sustainment challenges, the establishment of resilient supply chains, and the optimization of sustainment routes, all of which are critical for mission success.
A critical enabler of the JEDI-X platform is its underlying data ontology, a structured framework that ensures data from different systems aligns with a common standard. This ontology allows JEDI-X to map, transform, and translate logistics data into formats that are both NATO-compatible and tailored to specific mission requirements. By harmonizing data across platforms, JEDI-X facilitates seamless collaboration between coalition forces.
One of the ontologies that JEDI-X functions on is the Multilateral Interoperability Programme (MIP) Information Model (MIM), an open ontology designed as a global solution for enhanced data interoperability in defense operations. The MIM ontology is aimed at ensuring that all future capabilities remain interoperable regardless of vendor, Service, and nationality, maintaining a unified front in global defense initiatives. This interoperable data management is essential in modern warfare, since it enables more agile, informed, and coordinated responses in an increasingly complex operational environment. By using open ontologies such as MIM, the JEDI-X data platform enforces standardized, one-way data flows globally, ensuring U.S. logistics data can be effectively used for C2 decision making in sustainment operations.
The importance of the JEDI concept and the JEDI-X operationalized data platform extends beyond technical functionality. The JEDI and JEDI-X design embodies the principles of global scalability and adaptability, ensuring that logistics data products remain compatible across diverse systems and operational contexts by complying with MIM ontologies. By embedding JEDI-X into U.S.-led military exercises in Europe and Africa, the platform’s capabilities are continuously validated and refined under real-world conditions. This iterative process allows the Army and its partners to address emerging challenges, evaluate new solutions, and enhance interoperability. Furthermore, the JEDI concept is not theater specific and is ripe for adoption across global theaters to further improve U.S. data interoperability among the joint Services and global partner nations.
The integration of the JEDI concept and NATO LOGFAS represents a paradigm shift in how the Army approaches multinational logistics. These efforts address longstanding challenges in data compatibility, process fragmentation, and reliance on manual inputs. By automating data pipelines and standardizing workflows by using the JEDI concept, the Army creates a unified logistics ecosystem that supports both national and coalition operations. Additionally, the use of JEDI by USAREUR-AF not only provides enhanced operational effectiveness, but it also sets a precedent for seamless joint and multinational collaboration globally.
Looking beyond USAREUR-AF, the U.S. Army Pacific Command (USARPAC) is also complying with MIM data standards through the American, British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand (ABCANZ) Armies program, further validating the JEDI CONOPS. Mirroring efforts in Europe, ABCANZ has developed a list of requirements for logistics data sharing, the Technical Standard of Requirements (TSOR). As a contributor to MIP, the ABCANZ TSOR reflects the MIM data standard, further contributing to a common global data standard now being used by both USAREUR-AF, through the JEDI-X platform, and USARPAC, through the ABCANZ TSOR.
The ongoing refinement of JEDI-X and the integration of the JEDI concept into multinational exercises in USAREUR-AF and USARPAC underscore the Army’s commitment to continuous improvement. These efforts ensure that the JEDI concept remains adaptable to evolving operational needs and technological advancements. By embedding the JEDI concept into real-world scenarios, the Army not only validates its functionality but also reinforces its role as a leader in global logistics innovation. This global leadership is essential as the Army, via USAREUR-AF and USARPAC, gears up to participate in the DEFENDER 27, a pivotal multinational military exercise that will test interoperability among allies in large-scale, real-world conditions.
This transformation aligns with the broader objectives of the National Defense Strategy, which emphasizes building strong partnerships and enhancing collective readiness among NATO allies. By bridging the gap between U.S. national systems and NATO’s LOGFAS, USAREURAF is strengthening its operational capabilities while fostering greater cohesion within the alliance. This collaborative approach ensures that coalition forces are prepared to address the complexities of future conflicts with agility, precision, and resilience and presents a validation for the use of common data standards.
The efforts of USAREUR-AF to integrate U.S. systems into NATO LOGFAS using the JEDI concept provide a framework for achieving seamless data interoperability. Embracing common data standards within the broader Army ensures that logistics remains a decisive factor in military operations, enabling coalition forces to operate with the agility, resilience, and precision needed to succeed in an increasingly complex and contested world.
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Wiley Robinson serves as a logistics management specialist at U.S. Army Europe and Africa. A subject matter expert in NATO logistics functional area services and joint logistics operations, he has contributed to some of the largest live NATO exercises in the past three decades and has directly supported U.S. European Command objectives. He holds advanced degrees in logistics management and operational analysis.
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This article was published in the spring 2025 issue of Army Sustainment.
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