R 020800Z FEB 04
FM CMC WASHINGTON DC(uc)
TO AL ALMAR(uc)
ALMAR
BT
UNCLASSIFIED
ALMAR 006/04
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC L//
SUBJ/MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS MODERNIZATION//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) HIGHLIGHTED
LOGISTICS SUPPORT DELIVERED OVER SOME OF THE LONGEST LINES OF
COMMUNICATION EVER EXPERIENCED BY MARINE FORCES.  THE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR MARINE LOGISTICIANS IN THE FACE OF NUMEROUS
DAUNTING CHALLENGES STANDS AS A TESTAMENT TO THEIR PLANNING,
PERSEVERANCE, AND DEDICATION. IN SPITE OF THESE SUCCESSES, OIF
LESSONS LEARNED CONFIRMED A CRITICAL NEED TO IMPROVE THE WAY WE
PROVIDE LOGISTICS SUPPORT - BEGINNING AT THE TACTICAL LEVEL OF
WARFIGHTING.  
2.  IMPROVING LOGISTICS EFFECTIVENESS IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF
MAXIMIZING THE LETHALITY OF THE MAGTF AND ENABLING BOTH
EXPEDITIONARY MANEUVER WARFARE (EMW) AND THE SEABASING CAPABILITIES
OF PERSISTENCE, SUSTAINMENT, AND RECONSTITUTION AT SEA.  30 YEAR OLD
MAINFRAME-BASED SUPPLY AND MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS, OLD PROCESSES,
SIGNIFICANT COMMUNICATION SHORTFALLS, LACK OF TOTAL ASSET AND
IN-TRANSIT VISIBILITY, AND A DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM CHALLENGED TO
SUPPORT MANEUVER ALL HIGHLIGHT A CRITICAL NEED TO MODERNIZE MARINE
CORPS LOGISTICS. MEETING THESE NEEDS REQUIRES AN INTEGRATED MAGTF
APPROACH THAT FOCUSES ON MODERNIZATION OF LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY AND
PROCESSES.  THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM (EFDS)
DOCTRINE, ORGANIZATION, TRAINING, MATERIEL, LEADERSHIP AND
EDUCATION, PERSONNEL, AND FACILITIES (DOTMLPF) INTEGRATION ENABLES
THAT APPROACH.    
3.  THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GLOBAL COMBAT SUPPORT SYSTEM-MARINE
CORPS (GCSS-MC) AS A PROGRAM OF RECORD ON 1 OCT 03 IS A CRITICAL
FIRST STEP IN ADDRESSING LOGISTICS MODERNIZATION.  GCSS-MC WILL
PROVIDE A DEPLOYABLE, COLLABORATIVE, TACTICAL LOGISTICS COMMAND,
CONTROL, AND EXECUTION SYSTEM THAT WILL ENABLE OUR LOGISTICS
MODERNIZATION THROUGH 2015 TO INCLUDE ADDRESSING SEABASED LOGISTICS
AND EMW.  IT WILL FACILITATE AN END-TO-END LOGISTICS PROCESS, WHICH
ALLOWS THE SUPPORTED UNIT TO TRACK REQUIREMENTS FOR GOODS AND
SERVICES FROM THE FACTORY THROUGH THE LAST TACTICAL MILE.
ADDITIONALLY, IT WILL PROVIDE A MEANS TO ACCESS THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM
OF SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS, ADDRESS CURRENT LOGISTICS INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY SHORTFALLS, AND ENABLE ENHANCED MAGTF LOGISTICS SUPPORT.
COMMARCORSYSCOM HAS MADE THE EXPEDITIOUS FIELDING OF GCSS-MC A TOP
PRIORITY IN SUPPORT OF MODERNIZATION.
4.  IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, THE ARCHITECTURE FOR LOGISTICS
MODERNIZATION WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR COMBAT
DEVELOPMENT FOR VETTING THROUGH THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DEVELOPMENT
SYSTEM (EFDS). THIS ARCHITECTURE, A DOD AND SERVICE FIRST, WILL BE
THE BASELINE FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE LOGISTICS MODERNIZATION
INITIATIVES AND WILL INSTITUTIONALIZE NEEDED CHANGES IN OUR CORPS'
LOGISTICS PROCESSES. TOGETHER WITH GCSS-MC, THE LOGISTICS
ARCHITECTURE REPRESENTS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH EVER TO
IMPROVING TACTICAL AND OPERATIONAL MAGTF LOGISTICS.  MOST
IMPORTANTLY, IT IS LASER-FOCUSED ON PROVIDING CONSISTENT, EFFECTIVE
SUPPORT TO THE LAST TACTICAL MILE.  
5.  I FULLY SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF LOGISTICS MODERNIZATION
THROUGH THE EFDS, ENABLED BY GCSS-MC, AND FOCUSED ON IMPROVED
TACTICAL SUPPORT TO THE OPERATING FORCES.  I ASK COMMANDERS AT ALL
LEVELS TO BE ENGAGED IN THIS IMPORTANT MAGTF LOGISTICS MODERNIZATION
EFFORT THAT IS CRITICALLY NEEDED TODAY AND WITHOUT WHICH WE WILL NOT
BE ABLE TO SUPPORT EMW AND SEABASING IN 2015.
6.  KEEP ATTACKING, M. W. HAGEE, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS,
COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.//