CHIPS Articles: TC-AIMS II Supports the Navy

TC-AIMS II, or the Transportation Coordinators' - Automated Information for Movements System Version II, is a Department of Defense directed, Major Automated Information Systems (MAIS) joint program, which directly supports the DoD mission areas of mobility and sustainment. It consolidates unit movement and installation transportation functionality into a single joint automated system.

The U.S. Navy is using TC-AIMS II to deploy troops and equipment in support of the war on terrorism in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Navy expeditionary forces used TC-AIMS II to support deployments to the Southwest Asia area of responsibility. The system provided deployment planning support and produced the required transportation documentation for two Seabee Battalions, or the Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCBs), one Seabee Regiment, one Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare unit, one Inshore Boat Unit, three reserve Cargo Handling Battalions and a portion of the Reserve Navy Supply Support Battalion.

Exercise Support

TC-AIMS II was used to support the Amphibious Construction Battalion TWO (ACB II) deployment to Honduras for exercises Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore (JLOTS 04) and New Horizon. In total, the system prepared transportation documentation and provided in-transit visibility from origin to destination, or as the Army says, "from fort to foxhole" for more than 3.2 million pounds of equipment and supplies by sea and 300,000 pounds of equipment, supplies and 437 troops by air.

The Road Ahead

TC-AIMS II Block 2, which is anticipated to begin fielding in the first quarter of FY 2005, will introduce Navy users to the Transportation Information Systems (TIS) Enterprise, also known as the Central Management Facility (CMF). The TIS Enterprise is owned and operated by the TIS-Joint Program Management Office (TIS-JPMO). The TIS-JPMO is the TC-AIMS II Army developer and hosts the Web-accessible TC-AIMS II. These enterprise services will be provided by the TIS-JPMO to our Navy TC-AIMS II users at no cost.

Since the TIS Enterprise was established two years ago, the user community has grown by about 300 percent. To ensure enough available bandwidth, the TIS JPMO acquired a full duplex 100 Mbps Transparent Lan Service (TLS) circuit to accommodate the increase in demand.

Navy TC-AIMS II users will be able to perform all of the deployment support activities currently available on their semi-ruggedized, deployable laptop computers, but they will have the added ability to share information with other units. For example, a Seabee Battalion will be able to create a movement plan on the enterprise that can be accessed by its regiment embarkation support staff.

Equally as important, users will be able to easily update their data, such as, unit deployment lists or movement plans between the enterprise and stand-alone platforms. Users will also be able to obtain software and reference table upgrades from the enterprise for deployable laptops.

Another powerful tool that the enterprise configuration will bring to bear is a shadowing capability that allows the TIS help desk personnel to literally follow along with a user on the enterprise to resolve issues more quickly and efficiently.

The next scheduled increment of TC-AIMS II, Block 3, is currently in development and will offer automation for theater movement control, convoy operations in theater (including route deconfliction) and map graphics. Block 3 development is anticipated to conclude in early FY 2006.

The Space and Naval Systems Center Norfolk is the TC-AIMS II technology integrator for the Navy and has also provided technical support to the TC-AIMS Navy Program Office at the Naval Operational Logistics Support Center (NOLSC), headquartered in Norfolk, Va.

Ms. Dorothy McLeod is the TC-AIMS II Navy Program Manager. She is a recipient of the Emerald Award presented by the 3rd Annual Women of Color (WOC) Conference for lifetime professional achievement in the field of engineering and technology.