Articles
Military Logistics
Calling in the Troops
The ingenuity of America’s fighting forces has been the deciding factor in the greatest challenges the world has ever seen. Could history’s best-trained military men and women provide the answers to the supply chain workforce challenges we face today? Military leaders’ claim on logistics is pervasive throughout history. Everyone from Patton to Sun Tzu acknowledges […]
Read MoreFedEx Aims for Anti-Missile Lasers
In a new move for a carrier, FedEx has requested permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to equip a fleet of its Airbus A321-200 aircraft with an anti-missile laser system that disrupts heat-seeking missile tracking. FedEx referenced prior incidents in which attackers used portable air defense systems against civilian aircraft, such as Iran shooting down […]
Read MoreCombat Cargo: The Challenges of Military Logistics
Think you’re a project cargo master? If you really want to be all you can be, try moving difficult cargo into an area with terrible infrastructure and hostile combatants, something military logisticians do every day.
Read MoreCalling All Logisticians: Assist the Military to Bridge the Gap
Military missions are complex logistical efforts, requiring a significant understanding of supply chain and transportation management. Service members at all levels have logistical knowledge. Whether moving to a new location, planning training, or executing maneuvers, all military personnel are intimately familiar with mission execution and the associated logistical operations. As professional logisticians and supply chain […]
Read MoreMilitary and Manufacturing Outsourcing: Not All Guns and Roses
The U.S. military fights its war on high costs through outsourcing. Can manufacturers arm themselves with the same weapon?
Read MoreKelvin Miller: Home Away From Home for the Troops
Kelvin Miller is an equipment and mobility readiness spare parts allocation supervisor with military contractor DynCorp International, in Dohar, Qatar. He has held this position since 2013. Responsibilities: Managing and shipping equipment to the field to support Air Force deployments in the Middle East. Experience: Section chief, materiel distribution, U.S. Air Force. Education: A.A., psychology, […]
Read MoreFive Customs Compliance Tips for Aerospace Companies
Aerospace manufacturers and distributors who move shipments across international borders face an often-complicated, high-stakes process as they navigate export rules and local customs regulations. Fines for non-compliance can amount to millions of dollars. That makes understanding guidelines a vital business priority. For some companies, the hassles associated with customs can dissuade them from expanding into […]
Read MoreManaging the Aerospace Supply Chain
Today’s aftermarket aerospace and defense supply chain requirements are changing how companies secure the critical spare parts needed to improve customer service, enhance product uptime and profitability, and increase customer loyalty and retention. It’s nothing short of a global logistical transformation. Budget cuts are helping fuel the transformation, with the need to maintain existing military […]
Read MoreTrends—September 2014
HCS Updates: Asked and Answered The Occupational Safety and Health Administration‘s (OSHA) 2012 Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is sure to elicit a supply chain reaction from chemical manufacturers, distributors, and end users. The updates to HCS 1994, OSHA’s previous convention, feature some cosmetic changes—"material safety data sheets" are now referred to as "safety data sheets"— […]
Read MoreCasting Vets Into the Private Sector
After serving Uncle Sam, former military personnel are armed with the experience and skill needed to battle supply chain challenges.
Read MoreAerospace Logistics: Building for Growth
Supply chain improvements, and specialized service providers, keep the aerospace industry flying high.
Read MoreHiring Heroes: A Good Deal for U.S. Companies
The logistics sector is waging war against high unemployment among veterans with aggressive hiring programs that benefit both sides.
Read MoreTrends—December 2012
Bringing Logistics Efficiency To the Front Line In The Art of War, Sun Tsu teaches that "every battle is won or lost before it is ever fought." It is a reminder of the planning and logistics necessary to move and replenish supplies and armaments during successful military operations. The completion of a three-year study conducted […]
Read MoreBattlefields and Boardrooms: The Military-Private Sector Connection
Military skills are put to good use in the private sector. The traits of an exceptional soldier—leadership, persistence, teamwork, order—are also the traits of exceptional logistics professionals.
Read MoreCapt. Kazimir Kostrubala: Winging It
Capt. Kazimir Kostrubala, USAF, is squadron operations officer and installation deployment officer with the 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 19th Airlift, at Little Rock Air Force Base (AFB) in Arkansas. He received the 2011 Beyond the Call of Duty: Logistician of the Year award for his work with the Institute for Defense and Business. Responsibilities: Supervising 550 […]
Read MoreAmazing Race: Questions & Answers with Brigadier General John O’Connor
Inbound Logistics goes behind the scenes of a five-month pursuit to move the U.S. military from Iraq to Afghanistan with Brigadier General John O’Connor, director of logistics, Third Army, and commanding general of the Army Materiel Command.
Read MoreFrom the Service to the Supply Chain
Can you really model best practices from the military? After all, they invented the acronym SNAFU. But companies are finding veterans’ experience and skills help promote ship-shape supply chains.
Read MoreJason Ballard: Distributing Ammo and Hot Chow
NAME: Jason Ballard TITLE: Major, student in the Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since 2010 COMPANY: U.S. Army PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: U.S. Army Reserve: field artilery. U.S. Marine Corps: ammunition technician. U.S. Army: second lieutenant (recruiter, later cargo transfer company platoon leader); first lieutenant (assistant battalion operations officer); captain (battalion logistics officer, later assistant division […]
Read MoreNation Building at Home
After generations of change, one transition is still difficult—how we integrate military veterans into the private-sector workforce.
Read MoreWilliam Cossey Jr.: Happy in the Middle of the Action
NAME: William Cossey Jr. TITLE: Executive director of supply chain integration, since 2009 COMPANY: Cox Communications PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: Transportation and logistics sergeant, U.S. Army National Guard; staff accountant, PricewatershouseCoopers; assistant senior auditor, senior auditor, Cox Enterprises; business manager, Gulf Coast Market, Cox Communications; director of business operations, Middle Georgia Market, Cox Communications; state director of […]
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