Simple logic says we may have a complex problem on the way.

We spend a lot of time doing supply chain analysis, identifying key indicators, and then developing plans based on the picture those indicators paint.

Consider, as of December 9:

• For the first time in over a decade, the US Navy has seven of its eleven aircraft carrier fleets at sea.
• Of the seven, five are in the Pacific.
• Of the five in the Pacific, three are in the Western Pacific.
• Korea sits between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan, which are in the Western Pacific.
• The three in the Western Pacific are fully staffed, fully equipped, and combat ready.
• The carriers in the Western Pacific have full air wings, including F-35’s, and combat ready carrier escorts.

Forget the talking heads on the evening news. Instead of listening to what they are saying, look at what the Navy is doing.  Read a map.  Apply some simple logic.

Readiness is everything in the military.  It sure looks like the logisticians have the pieces in place to go into battle with North Korea.  That’s what a military logistician means when talking about readiness.  And there are four other carrier groups in place around the world in the event that somebody else – the names Putin and Erdoğan come to mind – sense an opportunity for mischief.

Are commercial logisticians also ready if the curtain goes up?  Many of us rely on logistics connections with China, or elsewhere in Southeast Asia.  Do you have a contingency plan if things take a nasty turn?

Sometimes life is about having Plan B ready to go.  Look across your supply chain, one, two, even three tiers way.  Look back to your suppliers, and forward to your customers.  Check out your safety stock levels, your alternate sources of supply, and your backlogs.

Are you vulnerable?

Will the Federal Government ever catch up?

I read a column by Steve Banker, a fine analyst and advisor in the Supply Chain, “What Was Hot in Supply Chain Technology In 2017.” 

Steve listed 3D Printing of Spare Parts, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Supply Chain Applications, Autonomous Mobile Robots for the Warehouse, Autonomous Trucks, SNEW data – social media, news, event, and weather data – and the Uberization of Freight.

It’s a good list.

What I find interesting is what happens when you overlay that list against the Federal Government.  There are few touch points.

The military is taking autonomous trucks and robots seriously, as well as 3D printing of spare parts, for obvious reasons.  I sure hope some of the folks in the Three Letter Agencies (CIA, NSA, etc.) are doing something with Artificial Intelligence.  I keep hoping that NASA will do something spectacular like they did in the sixties, but they remain starved for funds. 

This is not a long list.  Where are the other overlaps between innovation and the Federal Government?  It shouldn’t be a hard question.

During World War II, a phrase entered common usage.  Seventy-five years ago, "good enough for Government work" meant it could meet the most rigorous of standards.  That’s not what people mean when they use that phrase today, and that should make all of us sad.

Once upon a time the Federal Government was known for innovation, including achievements in the supply chain.  These are the people who gave us the Post Office, the most formidable last mile delivery capability on the planet.  The Feds figured out how to mobilize the supply chain to win World War II on the other side of the Atlantic, and even more impressively on the other side of the Pacific.  They conceived of and created the interstate highway system; where would we be today without that coast-to-coast network?  ARPA, now DARPA, played a pivotal role in the creation of the internet. 

The list could go on, but I don’t really see much that is meaningful and recent.  Why can’t federal government agencies keep pace with the private sector anymore?  I once had a boss who liked to ask, “What have you done for me lately?” As a Taxpayer and a Supply Chain Professional, I find myself wanting to ask that same question of the Federal Government. 

Can anybody tell me who I should call?