Abstract
In today’s ever-changing operational environment, we must be ready to deploy, fight, and win on a moment’s notice anywhere in the world. We must equip our forces now to sustain, maintain, and operate under the most demanding conditions. This virtual forum will focus on current and developing capabilities that enable inspection, maintenance, and repair work to occur in non-traditional locations. Presenters will discuss conducting rapid forward support operations in austere environments, to include offshore, and describe several ongoing sustainment and repair technologies to include the use of robotics, expeditionary smart boxes, drone swarms used to scan and inspect large areas, and forward deployed capabilities such as mobile repair shelters.
Agenda
1300-1305: Welcome – Steve McKee (OSD-MR) Presentation
1305-1309: Administrative Notes – Debbie Lilu (NCMS)
1309-1335: RSO – Rapid and Austere Maintenance Environments – Heath Wiseman (AFMC-RSO) Presentation
1335-1405: Expeditionary Repair – CDR Erich C. Schwarz, USN, OPNAV 4 Presentation
1405-1450: Navy Expeditionary Sustainment and Repair (NESAR) – Janice Bryant (NAVSEA)
1450-1500: Wrap-Up & Survey – Steve McKee (OSD-MR) Presentation
Minutes
Event: On 26 July 2022, the Joint Technology Exchange Group (JTEG), in coordination with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), hosted a virtual forum on “Expeditionary Repair”.
Purpose: The purpose of this forum was to discuss the challenges and solutions, research and development, and implementation of expeditionary repair capabilities in support of DoD sustainment.
Welcome: Steve McKee, OSD-MR, welcomed everyone to the forum and provided a brief introduction of the presenters and emphasized the significance, challenges and impact that CBM+ innovations have within the DoD sustainment community.
Administrative: This was an open forum. The presentations, along with questions and answers, were conducted through Adobe Connect. Two of the presentations were available online during the forum. Efforts continue to get all the presentations cleared to post on the JTEG website at: https://jteg.ncms.org/. A separate audio line was used. We had approximately 80 participants from across DOD, industry, and academia join in the forum.
RSO – Rapid and Austere Maintenance Environments – Heath Wiseman (AFMC-RSO), described how the RSO looks to counteract parts obsolescence issues by capitalizing on a network of advanced manufacturing & repair techniques/tools/equipment, reverse engineering capabilities, and advanced non-destructive inspection techniques, provided at the point of mission generation and throughout the supply chain (e.g., additive manufacturing, 3D printing, cold spray, composite materials/repairs, etc.). The RSO also works to reduce the materiel footprint required to establish an operational foothold and generate missions by developing modernized, modular, flexible, multi-capable and interoperable support equipment. He then provided descriptions of the following capabilities the RSO is involved with: Solar Powered Integrated Structures, Solar Powered Expeditionary Tent Light System, 5′ x 5′ Solar Powered Fabric Frame, Hands-Off Expeditionary Tent, Rapidly Deployable Hanger, EXO-skeleton, HABitat, Advanced Deployable Aircraft Maintenance System, and Advanced Rapid Maintenance Structures.
Expeditionary Repair – CDR Erich C. Schwarz, USN, OPNAV N4, described the Repair Cross-Functional Team (CFT) mission to execute battlefield damage and repair (BDAR), leveraging analysis and assessing risks to provide solutions sets and present innovative options to satisfy operational requirements, followed by an explanation of the repair CFT strategy. He then described repair challenges as the “3 tyrannies” -distance, technology, and command & control, and how expeditionary repairs must be adapted to meet the demands of modern conflict with innovative platforms such as the Expeditionary Maintenance and Repair Capability (EMARC) and constructs like the Expeditionary Repair Afloat (ERA). He concluded with a list of FY23 repair analytic agenda.
Navy Expeditionary Sustainment and Repair (NESAR) – Janice Bryant (NAVSEA) shared that the NESAR strategy is to create new sustainment capabilities in new places, with new faces while supporting the alignment of mature technology solutions with expeditionary shipyard sustainment, and also incorporating lessons learned from tabletop exercises and war games. She emphasized the seven NESAR Principals in regard to technology, followed by the four NESAR focus areas: visualization, command and control aids, forward manufacturing, and expeditionary maintenance. She then provided a description, objectives and benefits of each focus area and provided technology capability examples in each area. These capabilities include the Hardened Underwater Modular Robotic Snake, Underwater Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Learning Event, Integrated Battle Damage Assessment and Repair, Metal Additive Manufacturing Machines, Expeditionary Maintenance and Repair Container, industrial magnets, and the Multifunctional Automated Repair System (MARS). She concluded with a description of the Repair Technology Engagement Exercise (Navy REPTX) occurring on Aug 22 Sep 2, 2022, at Port Hueneme, CA which will focus on addressing identified expeditionary maintenance problems through technology-based solutions. A total of 70 technologies will be participating. For more details go to https://www.ncms.org/events/2022-reptx/.
Q&A – A Q&A occurred after each briefer finished their presentation. Questions and answers will be posted on the JTEG website with these minutes.
Closing Comments: Steve McKee thanked the presenters and participants for their attendance and all the work being done to support expeditionary repair innovations in support of DoD sustainment operations.
Action Items:
- Obtain copies of remaining cleared presentations once they are approved to post to a public website, and post to the JTEG website at https://jteg.ncms.org/.
Next JTEG Meeting: The next scheduled JTEG virtual forum is 30 August 2022, 1:00 – 3:00 pm EST. The topic is “Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI)”.