IT in the New Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan

Strategic plans are vague by nature, but sometimes they can also offer useful signposts for the types of information technology (IT) the organization intends to use. Such is the case with the latest Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Strategic Plan. Published last September, the plan provides some insight for industry concerning the types of technology the agency is interested in.

Advanced Analytics

As one of the world’s largest logistics enterprises, the DLA generates massive amounts of data that, like the rest of the Department of Defense (DOD), it would like to use for decision making. To that end, the new strategic plan calls for the following:

• Leveraging predictive analytics to inform logistics planning and deliver more timely results, driving better outcomes.
• Enabling and promoting logistics interoperability by proactively shaping dialogue on logistics planning, leveraging logistics and acquisition expertise, and providing transparent data and predictive analytics.
• Using analytics to predict future trends and events, including forecasting potential scenarios that can help drive strategic decisions.

Artificial Intelligence

No modern strategic plan could leave out the most hyped subject in the five years – artificial intelligence. The DLA plans to “strengthen digital interoperability and develop Artificial Intelligence-powered solutions to achieve decision advantage.” The language suggests that the DLA does not yet have this AI capability in place, so it might be worth making a few calls to agency contacts to learn if an acquisition is planned, and to discover its details.

Supply Chain Monitoring

Because of its central position as the DOD’s logistics organization, the DLA wants to enhance the reliability and security of its multi-national suppliers. It hopes to achieve this objective by “illuminating” and “mitigating” global supply chain risk. Doing so will involve assessing risk across supply chains to identify potential threats and develop risk mitigation strategies. This means “targeting” innovative opportunities that provide visibility of the end-to-end supply chain and integrate processes to increase resiliency and agility. This will require teaming with industry, allies, and partners to develop comprehensive support strategies and capabilities to enhance global and regional sustainment capacity.

None of the language here mentions technology specifically, but it is almost certain that the DLA will leverage analytics and machine learning to realize the goal of securing its supply chains.

Engineering Support

Finally, the agency is also pursuing interoperability to become a data-driven organization. Building interoperability means engineering data and systems to communicate with each other (apologies for being obvious). Training personnel is also necessary. The agency wants to enhance its performance by instituting data literacy and acumen, and by empowering the workforce to interpret and use data effectively. It intends to achieve these goals by employing a tri-level data acumen curriculum developed to meet learning needs and  support enterprise-wide data-driven initiatives.

To clarify what “data acumen” means to the DLA, it is defined as “The ability to use data to solve problems by making good judgments.” Improving these skills will enhance data literacy, which is “The ability to explore, understand, and communicate with data in a meaningful way.”