Boeing Subsidiary Contracted to Track US Army Logistics in Middle East

Boeing subsidiary Tapestry Solutions has received a United States Army contract to track and manage civilian contractors who move Army equipment and supplies throughout Kuwait, the Trans-Arabian Network and Iraq.

Tapestry Solutions will provide In-Transit Visibility (ITV) for ground transportation logistics in the US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) area of operations. The contract calls for the deployment of Tapestry’s Global Distribution Management System (GDMS) and expands upon Tapestry’s current GDMS/ITV program in Afghanistan.

For CENTCOM, Tapestry will deploy the ITV/GDMS solution to Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Jordan. GDMS will supplement the military’s current radio frequency ITV infrastructure in the region and provide a common operating picture as supplies are transported to tactical operations centers, movement control teams and higher military echelons.

Tapestry’s commercial software solution has served as a key element of the U.S. military’s Host Nation Trucking and subsequent National Afghan Trucking programs since 2009.

Michael Spencer, vice president, Global Sales & Marketing, Tapestry Solutions said, “Our dedicated GDMS team manages thousands of transportation movements per month in Afghanistan – working 24 hours a day to safeguard people, data and cargo. We look forward to providing the same level of exceptional service in surrounding nations.”

GDMS acts as a central data fusion system that enables the U.S. military to have near real-time visibility, tracking metrics and accountability for all registered commercial vehicles. At the core of GDMS is a centralized database that links cargo movements with vehicles equipped with GPS-based transponders.

The system provides panic alarms/alerts to contractors as they pass hazards and checkpoints, and displays the mission data on topographical maps. The system includes instant replay functions that allow for course-of-action analysis.

As an administrative tool, GDMS supports transportation management requests, captures actual delivery times, supports invoicing and validates demurrage charges. The data, captured in the GDMS-Mission Tracker (GDMS-MT) database, also assists with insurance claims, investigations and the military’s litigation efforts.