Boeing outlines logistics overhaul for Ministry of Defense
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is embarking on an eleven-year initiative, named the Logistics Network Enabled Capability (LNEC), to unify its supply chain information system. The project, announced shortly after the UK government's plan for ICT projects not to exceed £100 million in value, aims to address the significant issues plaguing the MoD's current IT systems.
According to a report published by the UK's National Audit Office (NAO) in March, the quality of data in the MoD's business intelligence system has been a major concern. The report revealed that armed forces on the front line often lacked necessary equipment due to poorly integrated logistics IT systems, some of which were over 30 years old.
To address these issues, Boeing is undertaking the LNEC project. The project will see the involvement of several companies, including IBM UK, Hewlett-Packard, Miro Technologies, Ark Continuity, EMC, Steria, and BearingPoint. IBM UK will provide IT services, hardware, and software, as well as management of information exchange services and engineering and asset management system for the air environment. Hewlett-Packard will provide hardware and services, including for legacy hardware; implementation and support for the service desk management tool; other hardware; and management of some of the legacy Land applications for the LNEC project. Miro Technologies will provide software and consulting, development, implementation, and sustainment of the base inventory management systems project, and management of an engineering and asset-management application for the LNEC project. Ark Continuity will lease and provide managed service of two data centres for the LNEC project. EMC will provide IT hardware and software, and manage the implementation of the data centre storage and backup solution for the LNEC project. Steria will provide IT services, software, and manage the service for some of the legacy applications for the LNEC project. BearingPoint will support the data warehouse as a managed service for the LNEC project.
Hewlett-Packard and IBM UK will also be responsible for managing some of the legacy Land applications and engineering and asset management applications for the LNEC project. Ark Continuity will provide data centre services, while EMC will handle data centre storage and backup solutions. Miro Technologies will focus on base inventory management systems and engineering and asset management applications. Steria will manage legacy applications, and BearingPoint will support the data warehouse.
The report did not provide details on any corrective actions being taken to address the issues with the MoD's supply chain IT system. Neither did it discuss the impact of the LNEC project on the MoD's current IT systems or the timeline for its implementation. The report also did not identify the six other companies working alongside Boeing on the project.
Despite these gaps in information, the LNEC project is a significant step towards modernising the MoD's logistics IT systems and addressing the equipment shortages faced by armed forces on the front line. The project's success will be crucial in ensuring the MoD's ability to provide the necessary support to its personnel in the future.
