To address the challenges associated with continuing transformation in areas in need of increased emphasis, the following is a summary of key actions the DSB believes are needed in the Department and are addressed in detail in the report:
- Enforce accountable responsibility for roles in force capability building with the needed balance in influence among providers and users.
- Establish a Business Plan to discipline resource allocation to mission purposes.
- Restructure concept development and JCIDS to focus priorities on warfighters capability needs.
- Modify the acquisition system to deliver capabilities on time and on cost.
- Form a Joint Logistics Command to create an end-to-end supply chain.
- Lead a multi-agency concept development and national-level campaign planning process.
- Create a process to identify and deal with disruptive challenges.
- Direct the human resource strategy to meet the demand for increased performance - military and civilian.
From a logistics transformation perspective, the recommendation to form a joint logistics command to create an end-to-end supply chain is of particular interest. To quote the report recommendation: "The Secretary of Defense should create a Joint Logistics Command responsible for global end-to-end supply chain that includes the TRANSCOM mission, DLA, Service logistics and transportation commands as components to JLC with Regional Combatant Commanders retaining operational control of the flow of in-theater logistics; and Program Managers retaining responsibility for lifecycle logistics support plan and configuration control. An integrated logistics information system will be essential to eliminate the need for multiple systems with multiple transactions across multiple seams."
The report goes on to state, "in one of the many prior efforts to forge an end-to-end supply change, U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) was assigned the additional mission of Distribution Process Owner (DPO). While this was an important step, it did not go far enough to meet the objective of an effective supply chain. The necessary step is to assign a joint command the authority and accountability for providing this essential support to global operations. This Joint Logistics Command would subsume the current USTRANSCOM mission, would absorb the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and would be supported by the Service logistics commands in a component command role. The Service logistics commands would continue to perform their Service functions, as is the case with other component commands. Theater commanders would continue to be responsible for harmonizing the logistics flow demand with operations in the theater. System program managers would retain responsibility for the life cycle support plan and for configuration control of the supported system. An integrated logistics information system is also necessary for an effective end-to-end supply chain. Numerous commercial enterprises exist that regularly practice and employ these means. The command should form an external board of advisors comprised of personnel from the commercial sector with the appropriate industry expertise and experience."
NOTE: This report is a product of the Defense Science Board (DSB). The DSB is a Federal Advisory Committee established to provide independent advice to the Secretary of Defense. Statements, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations in this report do not necessarily represent the official position of the Department of Defense or the Defense Acquisition University.
