ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — The Joint Munitions Command’s efforts to operationalize and assess munitions readiness was the focus during the quarterly update with Lt. Gen. Ed Daly, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command. Brig. Gen. Michelle Letcher, Commander, led the brief and highlighted strategic initiatives that JMC is using to nest with Army and AMC priorities.
Joe Klunder, Policy Division, Sustainment Production Directorate, briefed the different mechanisms JMC employs to measure munitions readiness and the evolution of its efforts to isolate and articulate risk. This provides decision space for Army senior leaders to make positioning and distribution decisions and influence Program Objective Memorandum procurement decisions. Using the Munitions Readiness Report created by JMC in 2002 and the Ammunition Readiness Chart developed in 2017, JMC has taken readiness measurements a step further by focusing on the entire Class V portfolio, respective to Army Service Component Commands Operation Plans and total stockage objectives.
The intent is to leverage the Logistics Data Analysis Center Vantage and SABRE solutions to automate many of the manual business rules employed to develop readiness metrics, allowing JMC to have real-time readiness data available to analyze and provide recommendations to senior leaders for decision.
“This new vertical integration of munitions readiness will produce a common operating picture, allowing us and our enterprise partners to see ourselves within the global context of munitions readiness,” Klunder said.
Another topic highlighted during the update was the newly-streamlined Munitions Requirements and Distributing Planning process. The MRDP, led by U.S. Army Materiel Command in coordination with the Department of the Army G3/G4, Joint Munitions Command and Aviation and Missile Command, was conducted in early May 2020. It was the inaugural version in a virtual format to validate munitions requirements, allocations and distribution plans to Army Commands, Army Service Component Commands and Direct Reporting Units. To prepare for the meeting, the team reviewed more than 600 munitions items. However, the new procedure streamlined the requirements and validation process by only discussing the constrained inventory items with each Command individually. The MRDP process enables Army Commanders to make risk-based distribution and positioning decisions impacting readiness.
In addition to better understanding requirements, JMC continues to make strides with understanding the supply chain and its ability to surge.
“We’re continuing to evolve our perspective, shifting from a narrow focus to an integrated view with an emphasis on operational impact,” said Jim Veto, Industrial Base Analysis Division, Government-Owned Contractor-Operated Directorate.
JMC has transitioned its attention from a single round to the linkage between ammo and weapons systems to create outputs that are more impactful. By combining these improved outputs with data from key systems of record for inventory and production, JMC is creating an enterprise risk model that allows for a holistic view. This gives JMC the knowledge necessary to effectively influence key decisions about readiness and risk.
“We’ve done fantastic work,” said Daly. “Now we need to operationalize it, drive effects, and align resources to these strategic priorities.”
Another way for the Ammunition Enterprise to pursue vertical integration is with an End-to-End Ammunition Business System designed to plan, track, account, audit, integrate and manage the supply and distribution of Class V munitions worldwide.
Bob Johnson, Enterprise Resource Planning Sustainment Division, Organic Industrial Base Directorate, stated, “JMC has the opportunity to transform the status quo and truly reform end-to-end ammunition management, and align JMC with the Army ERP strategy.”
The current Ammo environment is on a trajectory to replace the Standard Army Ammunition System-Modernization, but will still ultimately rely on multiple external systems to perform integration across the end-to-end supply chain. The goal is to pursue vertical integration in one system and leverage standard commercial capabilities to reduce sustainment costs from custom development.
“This path nests us with the future state of the Army ERP modernization strategy and highlights an opportunity to merge the two efforts,” Johnson explained. “Putting ammunition on the leading edge of ERP modernization allows ammunition to act as a pilot for other classes of supply.”
Lisha Adams, Executive Deputy to the Commanding General, AMC, and Daly expressed their appreciation for the leadership Letcher has displayed during her command of JMC.
“This is tremendous work by the JMC team. This is a great trajectory from Strategic Support Area to tactical and operational points of need,” said Daly.
Daly commended Letcher on collaborating with other organizations and for leading from the front.
“JMC is nested with the Army’s and Gen. Perna’s visions,” Daly said.
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