United States Transportation Command

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Joint Forces Command and the Defense Logistics Agency developed a way to provide faster support to warfighters for deployment and distribution related issues. The process centers on a Capabilities Based Assessment called Unified View.

This streamlined venue uses the joint exercise program and lessons learned from current operations and past experiments to improve the integration of deployment, distribution and sustainment processes for the joint force. The recommendations or solutions that result from Unified View follow the Joint Capabilities Integration Development System (JCIDS, pronounced JAY-sids) to eventually become approved as joint doctrine.

The real beneficiary of this partnership is the warfighting customer who is now seeing the time to develop solutions cut from as long as five years down to 18 to 24 months.

Unified View applies the JCIDS analysis to the experimentation process. The goal is to define problems, research possibilities, recommend solutions through the use of experimentation, and ultimately provide useable solutions to the field in the shortest time possible.

USTRANSCOM and USJFCOM started Unified View in 2005 to establish a continuous, systematic and shortened process for developing and gaining approval to deployment and distribution challenges. DLA accepted an invitation to co-sponsor Unified View experiments in 2006 and as a result, the scope expanded to include sustainment.

The first part of the Unified View Capability Based Assessment is the Functional Area Analysis which looks at the areas where problems may exist. Next is a Functional Needs Analysis to identify gaps in existing capabilities for those areas examined in the Functional Area Assessment. The Functional Solutions Analysis is then used to research possible courses of action, and ultimately to produce a set of solutions. These solutions are usually presented as changes to Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, and Facilities (DOTMLPF - areas to be considered whenever establishing a new capability).

The partnership and collaborative efforts of USTRANSCOM, USJFCOM and DLA have produced results.

Unified View 2005 focused on the integration of the deployment and distribution processes and produced tangible results. The Joint Requirements Oversight Council directed implementation of two solutions as a result of UV05; Force Tracking Number and Focus Warfighter.

Force Tracking Number is currently being implemented via the Joint Staff Force Tracking Number Business Rules Message and will be incorporated completely into the Joint Operations Planning and Execution System (JOPES) version 4.2. This UV05 solution improves the sourcing and tracking of forces throughout the deployment process and improves force closure reporting.

Focus Warfighter integrates all requirements into a single, integrated, coordinated strategic and tactical transportation solution. Integrating requirements provides opportunities to use resources for other requirements. This increases flexibility and reducing overall rework of requirements. An example is shipping low priority commodities via surface movement instead of air to save resources. Focus Warfighter offers a more reliable, predictable service and increases visibility of all movements.

Unified View 06, the second in the series, built upon the previous year's success. It focused on the integration of the Joint Deployment/Global Distribution processes. USJFCOM needed a method to manage and track valid force allocation requests, sourcing recommendations and allocation decisions that could adequately support its mission. Global Force Allocation Management and Sustainment Forecasting and Planning helped provide a solution as a result of UV06.

Unified View 2007 identified gaps and possible solutions for two problem statements:

(1) Deployment systems do not support joint information requirements needed for command and control and reporting transportation tracking/closure (Unit Move Tracking), and

(2) Combatant commands require an improved capability to identify, plan, and manage multinational, interagency, international organization, and non-governmental organization coalition deployment, force rotation, redeployment, and sustainment requirements during time-phased force and deployment data development, validation, and movement execution in an end-to-end manner. (Movements include all self-deployers, US military lift, non-US lift, and commercial contract/civilian carriers (air, land, and sea).

Two DOTMLPF Change Recommendations were proposed as a result of UV07.

(1) USTRANSCOM's Transportation Tracking Number (TTN) was proposed as a potential solution to the issue of Unit Move Tracking.

(2) Nine DOTMLPF-P recommendations were proposed to address the process improvement of Multinational Coalition (MNC) Deployment Planning and Movement Execution.

Unified View 2008 is under way and focuses on requirements and movement control, visibility, and deployment and redeployment closure.

Unified View 2009 is set to begin in January and USTRANSCOM encourages those with logistics, deployment and/or distribution challenges to participate.

For more information, contact Col. Blake Mahan at (618) 229-3041, blake.mahan@ustranscom.mil, or Steve Daniels at (618) 229-1788, Stephen.daniels.ctr@ustranscom.mil.
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Unified View delivers faster solutions for warfighters

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