Re-imagining Military Logistics—Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (ML-RAMS) with Intelligent, Interconnected, Digital and Distributed (I2D2) Technological Framework

Logistics, Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety (L-RAMS) are vital parameters for decision making for war preparedness and sustainment of combat operations from both strategic and tactical viewpoints. The anticipated rise of I2D2 technologies in military systems is likely to revolutionize the military RAMS practices and further influence logistics, viz. transportation, fleet management, warehousing, materials handling, inventory management, demand planning, etc., in a decision-making loop that are adapted to the battle dynamics and aligned to mission objectives. Thus, with the due factoring of L-RAMS in the operational planning and conduct, the military systems, viz., the weapon systems, the combat support systems, command and control systems, and communication systems, could gain combat edge and effectiveness on the battlefield. This paper explores the impact of I2D2 on the underlying factors of uncertainty and variability of any ML-RAMS problem and the associated decision making for battlefield conditions. The impact is further illustrated by re-imagining the evolution possibilities of sortie generation plan in the wake of incremental maturing I2D2 technological framework. It is hoped that the paper piques the interest of the ML-RAMS research community to propel further research in this area.