JUNE 15, 2022 – When Army Materiel Command is faced with a complex challenge, leadership turns to the analysts.
The AMC Analysis Group is currently made up of 28 people who are essentially the command’s brain trust. They are given a variety of problems to solve and by examining data, present possible solutions to senior leaders. Simply put, they help the command see itself.
“We are trying to solve specific problems within the command,” said Chris Hill, AMC’s chief analytics officer and director of the AMCAG. “The amount of analytics we utilize is enough for a commander to make a decision. Every single project we do supports a decision.”
Often, these problems require immediate action. One recent challenge was Operation Allies Welcome, the government’s effort to support vulnerable Afghans as they safely resettled in the U.S. To support this effort, the AMCAG team joined together to examine the environment. This tactic, known as operations research, allowed them to see how much space was available, how much food and water was available and other considerations. The team was also able to forecast changes, said Karen O’Brien, the AMCAG’s analytics division chief.
“The team was able to forecast demand for beds and necessities during a time when conditions were rapidly changing. This allowed leaders to plan ahead of the need and ensure the safe havens were ready for guests when they arrived,” O’Brien said.
AMCAG team members have different academic backgrounds ranging from computer science and operations research, to quantitative political science and accounting. A team of analysts is assigned to each staff section, able to assist by leveraging big data platforms like Army Vantage, which hold millions of different data points. AMCAG also assembles teams as needed to ensure the right skills are applied to each new task – whether a business process analysis or a machine learning experiment.
Sometimes analysts will examine possible new ways of doing business. An example of this is upgrading facilities. Using Army Vantage, AMCAG analysts developed a dashboard where users can see conditions of buildings across the world, and upgrades and repairs needed. The necessity of the repair can be tracked and stacked with other installations. This type of work is called optimization.
“It is a powerful tool for supporting staff processes,” O’Brien said.
Another example of optimization involves how AMC is modernizing its depots, arsenals and ammunition plants. An AMCAG-developed dashboard shows projects requested, cost and more. This allows leaders to examine the projects and determine what can be funded when.
AMCAG analysts can also examine an issue using simulation, or exploring what could be. An example of this is the AMCAG’s national supply chain readiness study. In this instance, the team developed a simulation that evaluated what parts AMC plans to buy given expected demand and what happens if future demand suddenly changes. Using these “what if” scenarios, experts can plan ahead while leaders can better balance risk. AMCAG built this simulation tool in Army Vantage in order to leverage all of the supply data contained in the data lake.
“The AMCAG team is pretty innovative,” Hill said. “We have done some things that have surprised people. We have pushed the envelope.”
In addition to helping solve complex problems, analytics also saves the Army money. The results of the work done by analysts across AMC has saved the Army billions of dollars.
As the AMCAG looks to expand, O’Brien said having a willingness to try makes a difference. She has helped tackle Army challenges as an Army Civilian for about 20 years and her passion for the work continues.
“I want to solve hard problems for the Army, and doing analytics in headquarters AMC provides an opportunity to do that,” she said. “The modern, cloud-based analytics tools that the Army provides allows us to tackle the hardest problems.”
Story by Samantha Tyler
U.S. Army Materiel Command