Agenda
1300-1305: Welcome – Steve McKee (OSD-MR) Presentation
1305-1309: Administrative Notes – Debbie Lilu (NCMS)
1309-1330: Center for Naval Analysis – Current State of the Workforce and Investing to Ensure the Future Workforce is Ready – Tom Geraghty (CNA) Presentation
1330-1400: Virtual Reality Project in Portsmouth – Gage Gerry (PNSY) and Mark Smithers (Boston Engineering)
1400-1420: Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, and the New-Collar Workforce – David Heckman (OSD-RE)
1420-1445: Optimizing NAVAIR Maintenance Performance through Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT)” – Mike Leigh (Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) Optimize) Presentation
1445-1455: “Hermes Sprint” – The Coordinated Implementation of Sustainment Technology – Steve McKee (OSD-MR)
1455-1500: Wrap-Up – Steve McKee (OSD-MR)
Minutes
Event: On 25 January 2022, the Joint Technology Exchange Group (JTEG), in coordination with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), hosted a virtual forum on “Technology Enhanced Workforce Development”.
Purpose: The purpose of this forum was to discuss how new technologies are requiring adaptations to our workforce development programs and strategies. The forum also presented some new technologies which are being used to introduce new training methods and have the potential for use in support of the DoD sustainment workforce.
Welcome: Ray Langlais (OSD-MR) welcomed everyone to the forum and previewed the agenda. Steve McKee, OSD-MR, provided a brief introduction of the presenters and emphasized the significance and impact that new technologies have on the development and retention of the DoD sustainment workforce.
Administrative: This was an open forum. The presentations, along with questions and answers, were conducted through Adobe Connect. Only one of the presentations were available online during the forum due to distribution restrictions. 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 65 participants from across DOD, industry, and academia join in the forum.
Current state of the workforce and investing to ensure the future workforce is ready – Tom Geraghty, Center for Naval Analysis (CNA), provided an overview of the CNA study on the “Fourth Industrial Revolution“ (Industry 4.0): automation of traditional manufacturing and industry and its implications for the Military and Civilian Workforces. The study examines personnel structures required to support Industry 4.0 skills within the organic industrial base, identifies gaps between current and required policies, and makes recommendations for closing those gaps over approximately a three-year time horizon. The interim report revealed preliminary findings for Robotics and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Tom discussed resulting workforce issues to include skill gaps, retention and turnover, training, career paths, and alternative personnel systems.
Digital Solutions for DoD – Gage Gerry (Portsmouth Naval Shipyard), Mark Smithers and Brian Kononchik (Boston Engineering), discussed existing and emerging needs for the workforce and the need to build capabilities to empower and excite a digital savvy workforce. They suggested a controlled ecosystem of capabilities and described an augmented reality (AR) navigation and digital content presentation in situ project at DLA, using COTS software to guide and learn what DoD workers and supervisors need at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and the use of Secured peer-to-peer video communications with augmented reality capabilities. They described the Boston Engineering Enterprise Platform (BEEP) as a purpose-built open platform built with the community, industry, DoD and the warfighters in mind, and demonstrated how combining components such as remote assistance and AR navigation can increase the value.
The New Collar Workforce – David Heckman (OSD-RE), discussed how the accelerated adoption of new technology has created multiple concurrent transformations which are outpacing the personnel structures impacting manufacturing and readiness. He described several “Industry 4.0” – like transformations currently underway to include data and cyber, and robotics and automation. Operators now require an understanding of new skills such as cyber security and robotics and a structure needs to be created to support these changes. He noted that the OSD(R&E)-funded Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is working with industry, academia, and government on an approach for robotics workforce credentials focused on robotics, to include a stackable and portable credentialing approach based on competencies. OSD(R&E) is a Co-Lead for a team developing a plan for Education and Workforce Development to be included in the White House’s 2022 Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing.
Optimizing NAVAIR Maintenance Performance through Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT)” – Mike Leigh (Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) Optimize), described that the blending of AKT learning performance aids and mixed reality applications represent a significant improvement in the way many work tasks are being accomplished. Through the use of a wide variety of multimedia elements (photos, video, illustrations, narration, animation, etc.) information has become dynamic, greatly enhancing performance and virtually eliminating confusion and mistakes. Augmented reality makes it possible to instantly access and see a task actually being performed correctly…step by step. Also, through web-based, automated programming software, AKTs can be delivered as fast as 24 hours after filming. Mike provided some online demonstrations and provided examples of some sample results and costs.
“Hermes’ Sprint” – The Coordinated Implementation of Sustainment Technology – Steve McKee, OSD-MR, provided a status on the “Hermes’ Sprint” effort underway to implement DoDI 5000.92, “Innovation and Technology to Sustain Materiel Readiness” (eff 7MAY21), which provides policy to develop, implement, and expand applications for sustaining materiel readiness across DoD systems. Hermes Sprint is addressing the procedures for an accelerated and integrated approach to sustainment innovation and technology development, adoption and application. The first set of annual sustainment capability gaps lists are due from the MILSVCS and DLA on 31 January and will be the basis for taking coordinated and decisive actions. JTEG Principals are directly involved in helping shape and drive this effort.
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 the development and implementation of innovative tools and processes to support workforce development during this period of rapid technology adoption.
Action Items:
1) Obtain copies of 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 22 February 2022, 1:00 – 3:00 pm EST. The topic is “Technology Integration”.
POC this action is Ray Langlais, rlanglais@lmi.org, (571) 633-8019