Distance Support to be Key Enabler of Future Navy
(Source: US Naval Sea Systems Command; issued Aug. 13, 2004)
WASHINGTON --- Distance Support is a philosophy, a concept for doing business, and an actual capability. It will be the foundation upon which our 21st Century Navy will operate. It will touch everyone of us. It is most important we understand Distance Support and our role in it. This article provides an overview of NAVSEA’s role in Distance Support today and Navy leadership’s expectations for Distance Support in the near future. It also announces an internal shift in NAVSEA oversight and coordination of Distance Support from SEA 04 (Logistics, Maintenance and Industrial Operations) to SEA 03 (Human Systems Integration).
Since 1999, Distance Support, operating by means of a collaborative agreement between NAVSEA, NAVSUP, SPAWAR and the Fleet Commanders, has provided real time technical assistance to afloat Navy units. The initial phase was to provide the warfighter with assistance in resolving technical, logistics, maintenance, and quality of life issues through a single, shore-based coordination point/customer advocate. This initial effort has been successful and will be continued and expanded, but as Navy leadership addresses the challenges of operating reduced and/or optimally manned ships in the 21st Century in a much more dynamic and complex operational environment, he is also looking to make major and dramatic changes to the shore support infrastructure and is relying on Distance Support to be a key enabler of those required changes.
Accordingly, Distance Support is expanding to encompass Personnel, Training, Logistics and Maintenance Support. The vision is that Distance Support will not only provide assistance to all Naval units, both in port and underway, but also help reshape our infrastructure of the future. This will require review and alignment of virtually every aspect of the Navy’s Base/shore infrastructure to identify where Distance Support concepts will increase efficiencies. These efforts should focus on our new classes of ships, including LCS, DDX, CVN-21 and LHA(R), as well as the existing Fleet Forces which we anticipate will be operating with some degree of reduced manning. Distance Support concepts must also assist the shore infrastructure to support the SEA SWAP initiative, which will be a key enabler of the Navy’s ability to maintain forward presence requirements more cost effectively.
Currently, Distance Support provides solid capabilities in support of Fleet readiness. The Distance Support Anchor Help Desk has been web-enabled and expanded to include Collaboration, Tele-Tools and a transformational business process that provides access to a wide spectrum of government and industry support providers.
Under Distance Support, all support requests are documented, tracked and resolved by support providers linked via a common collaborative Customer Relationship Management (CRM) environment. The Distance Support website (i.e.
www.Anchordesk.mil) is both a medium for obtaining support and a shared data environment. Support can be obtained via a Web hosted support request or an interactive self help query using the “Ask the Chief” search engine. Ship, system and equipment data and support process efficiency and effectiveness metrics are also available as well as program documentation. I would encourage all of you to visit the website to learn more about the current state of Distance Support.
Initial Distance Support transformation efforts, which focused on maintenance and logistics, are now being expanded via direct links to many of the functional communities within Navy today. In just over three years, Distance Support has become the catalyst for business process transformation to adapt, coordinate, and integrate processes, support infrastructures, and tools of government and industry into one cohesive effort.
Distance Support has now become the Fleet’s primary means by which to obtain assistance from the shore community in support of operational readiness. In the very near future, Distance Support will also be a key enabler for SEA WARRIOR and Task Force Excel, and integral to the success of SEA SWAP, SEA BASE, SEA ENTERPRISE, Optimal Manning and Navy Knowledge on Line initiatives. Distance Support is also described in the CNO’s 2004 guidance as a vital requirement for the Virtual SYSCOM (VS) and the CNO’s efficiency and effectiveness initiative for recapitalization.
Navy’s leadership is relying on Distance Support to be a key enabler of the future in a myriad of arenas.
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