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3.2. LOGISTICSMilitary logistics is highly complex. There are over 20,000 different equipment systems in use, each with its own set of spare parts and maintenance procedures. The Army supply system alone has over 10 million items in its supply system. A deployed unit can ill afford to have damaged equipment awaiting parts or tied up in lengthy diagnostic repairs. ES have helped contribute to making the logistics system work better. 3.2.1. Unit-Level Maintenance -- Turbine Engine Diagnosis (TED) System and Others A seemingly simple process such as preventive maintenance on equipment can actually be quite daunting for an individual soldier. Each system, such as a tank, weapon, or telecommunications, has a stack of manuals describing the maintenance procedures and parts lists. Simple diagnosis and repair can therefore become a time-consuming task. The military has had several successful expert systems in the diagnosis and repair arena. Among them are PRIDE (Keller, 1990) for the Army's HAWK missile system and the Expert Missile Maintenance Aid from the Air Force's Phillips Laboratory for the GBU-15 missile system. A more recent success is the TED project, which won the 1993 ADPA award. TED, sponsored by the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School in Aberdeen, MD, provides expert assistance to tank mechanics for the M-1 Abrams tank power pack unit (known as an FUPP). The TED knowledge base contains all the information contained in the Abrams' technical manuals and provides rule-based interaction with the mechanic. The output is a repair parts requirement list printed on standard Army requisition forms.
Supplementing user interaction, TED uses sensors that listen to the engine while running. A multiplexer converts the analog sounds from the transmission into digital form, analyzes them for abnormalities, and reports them to the mechanic. The reports contain the probable cause, parts needed, time required to perform the repair, and special tools that the mechanic must acquire to do the job. The return on investment for TED has been dramatic. The photograph in Figure 1 shows a mechanic with the stacks of technical manuals and diagnostic equipment. This mechanic is holding a TED laptop that effectively replaces it all. As of this writing, TED is being fielded to all Army tank maintenance units, and TED is being upgraded to include neural networks. 3.2.2. Large Unit Supply -- Knowledge-Based Logistics Planning Shell (KBLPS) The Persian Gulf War illustrates the complexity of large unit supply. During the build-up, suppliers had to distribute massive quantities of food, ammunition, fuel, construction materials, and especially water to Army, Marine, and Air Force units on the ground. Each unit has different consumption rates of supply based on the type of supply and the unit's equipment. Some supplies such as food, fuel, and water are consumed regularly and must be constantly replenished. Others, such as construction materials, repair parts, and personal care items, can be replenished on a regular basis. Ammunition resupply depends greatly on the situation. Units must maintain a minimum of certain types of ammunition while there is no fighting. If fighting occurs, then the ammunition requirements increase. Military units prepare huge manuals containing only tabular information about consumption rates. However, these manuals are often rendered obsolete quickly. New equipment often causes units to reorganize. Major deployments, such as the Persian Gulf War, involve the mixing and matching of not only Army, Marine, and Air Force units, but also units from allied nations. Expert systems clearly can help streamline the process. Expert systems can piece together a resupply plan much more quickly than using the large stacks of manuals. Also, expert systems can identify potential problem areas before they arise. Developed by Carnegie Group, Inc., and sponsored by the Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM), KBLPS takes a war plan and develops and tests supply plans to support it. KBLPS combines a rule-based plan development shell with a simulation model. The simulation helps determine the logistical feasibility of the war plan and identify areas of risk. As of this writing, KBLPS is in its fourth prototype version. This version has a well-developed knowledge base for bulk fuel (gasoline, diesel, and aircraft fuel) and ammunition. It has the capability to analyze food, personal care items, construction items, major equipment systems, and packaged fuel (oil, grease, and other petroleum products) for corps units and below. The project's goal is to handle all classes of supply throughout the theater. CASCOM is also involved in two other logistics planning projects:
3.3. TRAINING AND EDUCATIONTraining and education are very important to a professional military. The American public expects the military to be prepared for any situation and serve as a deterrent from aggression. In peacetime, military training must be realistic, thorough, and rigorous. All the services establish high and exacting standards of performance that can only be met by practice and study. They set these standards for individuals and units of all sizes from a seven-man squad to an entire 100,000-man corps. However, the price of meeting these training and educational requirements is extremely high. Field training of units requires the expenditure of vast amounts of resources. Many units, especially reserves, must travel great distances to conduct a field exercise. Training places wear and tear on equipment. Most Army and Marine bases have insufficient land for large-scale maneuvers, meaning regular large-unit training is impractical. Individual education requirements require attendance at specialized schools across the country, involving heavy moving and tuition costs. Finally, field training causes environmental and collateral damage -- all of which the military must provide compensation. For much of the 1990s, various military organizations have looked to simulation and distance education technologies to offset these costs. Simulation provides the capability to train units and individual equipment operators while reducing equipment wear and tear. Distance education allows students to take courses at an individual pace while staying at their home base. These applications often involve expert systems, intelligent agent technologies, and intelligent computer-aided instruction over the Internet.
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