Global Combat Support System-Army integrates supply, property accountability, and
maintenance operations
by Carlos Morrison
“GCSS-Army enables Army leaders at all levels to know accurate tactical sustainment
and financial management information in near-real time. This ability reduces the
decision-making cycle timeline and provides leaders additional confidence in their
decisions. GCSS-Army also enables Soldiers to perform their missions more effectively
and efficiently. Overall, GCSS-Army improves the tactical sustainment mission performance
at all levels, across all Army components.”
—LTC Tim Domke, Product Manager Global Combat Support System-Army, Program Executive
Office Enterprise Information Systems
Over the years, Soldiers and leaders have often asked two questions about their
logistics information technology (IT) systems: Why can’t the Army’s tactical and
installation logistics system be more like commercial business systems?; and why
does the Army have separate IT systems for different logistics functions? The Soldiers
of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) and the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division
(2/1 AD) are not asking these questions. Since July 2010 and August 2011, respectively,
the two units have been using the Global Combat Support System (GCSS-Army) for integrated
supply, property accountability, and maintenance operations instead of their legacy
logistics IT systems. Based on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, GCSS-Army
provides these Soldiers the ability to see and work with information in a single
database, eliminating the separate stovepipe functional systems that each unit maintained.
GCSS-Army is a huge leap forward as the rest of the tactical- and installation-level
Army continues to use legacy software, such as the Standard Automated Retail Supply
System (SARSS) and the Standard Army Maintenance System (SAMS).
NEW CAPABILITIES
Although the legacy systems have served the logistics community well, GCSS-Army
provides capabilities that the other systems just weren’t built to provide. First,
GCSS-Army has a roles and permissions capability to track personnel in the systems
who are making transactions. With this capability, tactical and installation commanders
can manage the internal controls of logistics and financial processes. Second, GCSS-Army
has an embedded financial functionality, which directly links logistics and financial
actions, giving commanders greater control and visibility. This combination of roles
and permissions and embedded financials provides an added benefit: For the first
time, tactical and installation logistics and financial processes are auditable.
GCSS-Army can be used to show the accountability of funds and materiel. In addition,
units like the 11th ACR and 2/1 AD have accurate and consistent data across the
business areas. No longer will Soldiers need to reconcile equipment records and
open orders between the separate legacy systems. With GCSS-Army, sustainment leaders
have greater access than ever to real-time performance metrics, requisition status,
and job status. The ERP on which GCSS-Army is built operates similarly to that used
in commercial industry, including Coca-Cola Co. and Exxon Mobil Corp. Military agencies,
such as the Defense Logistics Agency, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, and
the U.S. Air Force, also use ERPs, as do allied armies including those of Canada
and Germany.
FIELDING PLANS
In October 2011, the 2/1 AD participated in an initial operational test and evaluation.
Based on the successful completion of testing and approval for full deployment,
GCSS-Army is scheduled to start fielding by fall of this year. GCSS-Army will be
fielded in two waves. Wave 1 will include supply chain warehouse and finance functionality,
which will replace SARSS at tactical and installation levels. Once the first wave
is complete, the Product Manager GCSS-Army will begin Wave 2, which fields functionality
for property book, unit supply, and maintenance at tactical and installation levels,
replacing systems like the Property Book Unit Supply Enhanced and SAMS. Waves 1
and 2 will both be fielded to all Army components: active, Army National Guard,
and Army Reserve. With an anticipated user base of nearly 160,000 personnel, GCSS-Army
fielding is estimated to take about two years for each of the two waves, finishing
by the fourth quarter of FY17.
CARLOS MORRISON is Director, Corporate Information Office, Office of the Deputy
Chief of Staff for Logistics (Army G-4/G-6). He holds a B.S. in business studies
from New Hampshire College and an M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University.