Logistics Control and Information Support (LOCIS)

The downsizing of the U.S. armed forces, the reduced funding and sparing for parts, and the increased number of simultaneous threat engagements have led to a requirement for even greater control over available resources at the wing level. Current management information systems for wing-level logistics are slow and manpower intensive, often requiring a team of specialists to manually interpret logistics data from multiple, uncorrelated locations, During 1995-1997 a feasibility study, requirements analysis and concept demonstration projects were led by the Air Force Research Lab Human Effectiveness Directorate (AFRL/HESR) to determine the need for a Research and Development (R&D) program that would investigate better ways to improve the timeliness and understandability of logistics information. Based on the success of these early projects and the identified need for a wing-level command and control logistics support fool, the current 42 month Logistics Control and Information Support (LOCIS) program was born. A long-term, integrated solution requires a new look at the process, information, and emerging technologies. LOCIS is the beginning of this process as it supports the fusion of information, logistics, and advanced techniques to provide rapid crisis response, to track and shift assets (even while en route), and deliver tailored information directly to the strategic command managers. This paper describes the process LOCIS will undergo over the next 42 months and the benefits expected from the LOCIS wing-level command and control logistics capabilities.