The US Navy, IBM, Four Inc., and Cubewise have launched a program to enhance the service’s fleet readiness aboard the USNS Robert E. Peary.
Led by US Fleet Forces Command, the Class 1 Common Operating Picture program was established to provide fleets with efficient decision-making timelines related to response plans, including the ability to surge and sustain fleets.
US Navy’s CL1P Program
The program will leverage the expertise of strategic partners to manage growing data and information flow. It will also replace traditional, additive steps across data operations with advanced approaches.
The program’s initial phase will involve developing capabilities that plan, predict, and balance food supply and demand while reducing supply chain risk.
The systems will be implemented on class 1 fleets, Naval Supply Systems Command, the Defense Logistics Agency, and related logistics task forces.
“The technology we plan to employ may start with food, but to me, it is commodity agnostic and marries the right elements that drive integration across our supply chain ecosystem,” US Fleet Forces Command Ordinance and Supply Director Rear Adm. Matt Ott explained.
“We operate in a very dynamic environment and our logistics must pace, and in many cases, precede and propel, our operations.”
“Our global challenges acquiring, delivering, sustaining, and resupplying food represents a massive logistics effort that advances our morale, but even more importantly purposefully advances warfighting capability in order to maintain maritime superiority.”
Managing Fleet Supply Through Artificial Intelligence
IBM’s Planning Analytics with Watson, an AI-powered integrated platform, will serve as the program’s technological backbone for modeling supply and demand matching systems.
“It’s all about getting the right food to the right place at the right time,” US Fleet Forces Command Supply Policy’s Capt. Mark Bowmer stated.
“When we apply business intelligence, we will optimize the supply chain and support the force more effectively with sustained mission readiness.”
According to the US Navy, the solutions will enable improved end-to-end subsistence visibility to bolster the navy’s mission vibrancy and readiness.
“Through an available injection of current technology, we will support our Sailors, and make our enterprise performance chain stronger, learning from our experiences, and demonstrate urgency in expediting knowledge transfer to advance and dominate our warfighting mission,” Ott said.