LOGISTICS AND MAINTENANCE
Pentagon Harnessing Data for Predictive Logistics Planning
3/11/2024
By Laura Heckmann
OKLAHOMA CITY — “Logistics wins wars” is an age-old adage, but its application has evolved from logbooks and spreadsheets to data streams and analytics. The Defense Department now wants to harness these new practices to predict the future.
Christopher Lowman, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, described predictive logistics as a method of utilizing data generated across various platforms — something the Defense Department has no shortage of — to better understand what tools need to be employed to turn data into actionable logistics decisions.
“It’s all about regenerating readiness and pushing the capability to satisfy demand closer to the point of need within the theaters of operation,” Lowman said at the National Defense Industrial Association’s recent National Logistics Forum.
Army Gen. Charles Hamilton, commanding general of Army Materiel Command, said precision and predictive sustainment means “not only knowing when, where and how much a unit is using something like ammo [or] water or maybe certain parts, it also means knowing precisely where and when, and how much of a commodity that you will need in the future. And the key is getting out in front.”
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2024/3/11/pentagon-harnessing-data-for-predictive-logistics-planning
