Equipment Sustainment Data in Standard Army Management Information Systems: Needs, Gaps, and Opportunities

Abstract : In 2003 the Department of Defense (DoD) revised its acquisition policy to include the Total Life Cycle Systems Management (TLCSM) directive, which calls for cradle-to-grave management of weapon and materiel systems. In line with this revised policy, the Army made a substantial organizational change, creating Life Cycle Management Commands (LCMCs) in 2004 to give Army Materiel Command (AMC) logisticians more input into acquisition processes and move toward TLCSM. The Army has also made significant information systems changes, such as fielding the Logistics Information Warehouse (LIW), to facilitate life cycle management of equipment. Still, recent reports have described cases of critical life cycle management (LCM) decisions and supporting analyses being hindered by problems with life cycle sustainment (LCS) data, i.e., information about the operations, support, and/or disposal of Army equipment. Additional steps may therefore be needed to ensure that Army information systems provide managers and analysts with access to high-quality, comprehensive LCS data. Recognizing this, the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, Headquarters Department of the Army (DA G-4), Resource Integration Directorate sponsored a study to assess the LCS data currently available in Standard Army Management Information Systems (STAMIS).