Written by Mark B. Roddy

 

During my active duty career, I witnessed significant aircraft technological advances, reflected in the vastly different capabilities of the Korean War-era HU-16 seaplanes I managed in 1972, and the F-16 Block 40 aircraft I supported in 1991. Those technological improvements resulted in better logistics support as well, such as the movement of aircraft batteries from under F-4 ejection seats into much more accessible parts of the F-16 airframe.

Today, however, having spent the last 15 years dealing with information technology, I believe we logisticians need to better educate ourselves on advances in military logistics-oriented information technology. Whatever the market or customer, for me logistics means doing everything required to expeditiously get the right serviceable product to a customer, and sustain that customer through rapid repair or replacement if the product doesn’t work as advertised.

As military logisticians, we support customers located in every corner of the globe, often in extremely hostile environmental and combat conditions. Satisfying their needs can quite literally mean the difference between life and death. But that doesn’t change the fact that in supporting them, we follow basic acquisition, supply, maintenance and distribution activities that every major company supporting a customer base follows.

Thus, we need to be knowledgeable about logistics IT because it facilitates the management of—and drives—many of our logistics business processes. I once asked an Air Staff colleague who was a member of the Senior Executive Service why it was so difficult for the U.S. military to modernize their information technology. His reply: “Mark, as managers and decision-makers we don’t know enough about IT. So when we look at modernizing or replacing a legacy system, the system’s champion will try to convince us that the service will grind to a halt if we replace their system, and we aren’t smart enough to raise the ‘B.S.’ flag on them.”

There’s another important reason for military logisticians to learn all they can about logistics information technology: being an informed logistician in supporting the acquisition of new logistics IT. As an IT business development person, I relish the opportunity to deal with an informed prospect. The better informed and knowledgeable a prospect is, the more comprehensive, realistic and achievable will be the requirements in their request for proposal. The better defined those requirements are, the greater the probability that, if selected, my product will satisfy the customer. Remember: IT firms such as SAP strive to have delighted customers.

So, if you have a particular vendor product in mind, visit their Website. Most company Websites offer papers and briefings on their products and services. Don’t overlook the rest of the Internet as a source of information about specific companies or specific technologies. For example, if you do a Google search for RFID, you’ll get over 18 million references.

If you’re looking at a vendor’s product, ask them to set up a reference call or visit with an existing customer who uses the products you are investigating. The firm should set up the call or visit, do the introductions and then leave you alone with the reference customer to ensure an unconstrained conversation.

Take advantage of logistics-focused agencies and organizations, such as the Logistics Officer Association, Society of Logistics Engineers, National Defense Industrial Association, etc., to help you learn more about a vendor or a technology. Also take advantage of the information contained in professional journals such as Military Logistics Forum. Finally, don’t hesitate to reach out to grey-bearded logisticians like me. Yes, I work for an IT vendor, but I’m still a military logistician at heart. And I really hate to see any loggie try and reinvent the logistics IT wheel when a conversation with me might have guided them to a more productive course.

The bottom line: I believe that logistics IT ignorance is inexcusable. To best support our warfighters, military logisticians need to take advantage of all the information the IT world has to offer. That includes being informed enough to confidently “raise the ‘B.S.’ flag” on a vendor or a member of your staff, if necessary. The consequences in terms of ensuring optimal logistics support to the warfighter demands nothing less. ♦

For more information, contact Mark Roddy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Mark Roddy is the defense industry principal for SAP Public Services Inc. A retired Air Force colonel, his 24-year active duty career encompassed positions of responsibility at all levels of logistics management. Roddy is a past national president of the Logistics Officer Association (LOA) and a recipient of LOA’s Leadership and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

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