AN ANALYSIS OF OC/OL SUPPORT & INTERRELATIONSHIPS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00077R000100040001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 26, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

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2 6 MAR 1884
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Logistics
Director of Communications
SUBJECT: An Analysis of OC/OL Support & Inter-
relationships
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
At your direction, a review of the Logistics support to the
Office of Communications, its organization, effectiveness, and
responsiveness to existing and future OC requirements was con-
ducted during the months of February and March 1983. The re-
view concentrated on the Headquarters Logistics activities plus
Logistics Support Network needs to be restructured to respon-
sively support growing OC requirements and is also in need of
modernization.
orts resulted in the conclusion that the OC Headquarters
Our ef-
The strategy of conducting the review was three phased.
Phase I consisted of circulating a questionnaire to OC managers
soliciting their candid observations and experiences with the
Logistics Support Network. Phase II consisted of personal in-
terviews with all OL career managers assigned to the Office of
Communications and with some thirty-five other OC and OL man-
agers who daily depend upon support from the Logistics network
or who are responsible for requesting or providing this sup-
port. Phase III concludes the review with an analysis of the
data developed during Phases I and II and the development of
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conclusions and recommendations contained in this report.
Specific conclusions and associated recommendations for your
consideration are as follows:
-- The Office of Communications Logistics organiza-
tion has not substantially changed from that established
decades ago. It consists of independent "pockets" of lo-
gistics resources often competing with each other for common
resources. It functions under no single command and con-
trol structure, is overcontrolled by project officers, and
carries the burden of responsibility and accountability
without delegated authorities.
-- The multiple use of "allocation" control of Com-
munications' inventories intensifies competition between
OC Divisions for common items, hampers timely responsive-
ness and substantially inhibits office-wide distribution
of OC resources.
-- Recent management initiatives to dedicate con-
tracting officers assigned to the OL Procurement Division
to Office of Communications requirements has experienced
limited success because frequent rotation of procurement
personnel adversely impacts upon responsive contracting
support to the Office of Communications. These rotations
create confusion across-the-board and delays in terms of
months in completing contract actions.
-- Delays in renewals of service-type contracts
causes inefficient utilization of communications resources.
-- Frequent rotation of Office of Communications con-
tracting officers aa~ technical representatives (COTR) in-
tensifies contract delays.
-- There does not appear to be any OC priority
establishing methodology or any for the support elements to
follow. The squeaky wheel method is used more often than
not.
-- In terms of responsiveness, the TECH REQ System
is functioning extremely well. The increased burden
placed upon this unit by supporting CRAFT will
require additional Logistics personnel to a assigned
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to this unit to sustain this level of responsiveness.
In fact, the TECH REQ System functions so well it may
tend to encourage field personnel to rely on the System
rather than analyze, identify, and repair problems locally.
-- The TECH REQ System is not, however, without
problems. Inconsistent and improper processing of System
requirements from field installations causes increased
cable correspondence to correct deficiencies in submitting
these requirements. The System resides in the Technical
Support Section of Foreign Networks Division, but responds
to office-wide requirements. Improved training and indoc-
trination of system operations appear necessary.
-- The Material Support Section (MSS), also located
in the Foreign Networks Division, is the "backbone" of
Logistics support to OC. MSS was initially established
decades ago as a Logistics organization tasked with
responding to requirements in the foreign arena. How-
ever, because of DND and other expansions within OC,
its mission has evolved to servicing many requests which
cross the entire Office of Communications. Accordingly,
from its location organizationally it has difficulty coping
with office-level priorities.
-- The Logistics Resource Manager, also the senior
Logistics careerist assigned to OC, cannot effectively
service the entire Office from the position assignment in
the Field Engineering Branch of the Foreign Networks
Division. Like MSS, this manager has difficulties servicing
the entire Office from his position organizationally.
-- The Office of Communications services
received from the Office of Logistics
is functioning well. Continuing purges,
of obsolete communications equipment and spares inven-
tories being held in these depots should be undertaken.
This would provide additional relief to critical space
problems being experienced
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-- With the advent of RECAP and the rapidly expand-
ing OC mission, consideration should be given to construc-
tion of an environmentally controlled warehouse annex at
-- All Logistics careerists assigned to the
Office of Communications appear dedicated to providing
responsive support to OC requirements and to enhancing
efficiencies of these services. The DND logistics organi-
zation should automate antiquated record keeping pro-
cesses to remain in concert with other support initiatives.
-- Logistics elements within OC should partici-
pate more completely in the requirements planning process.
They are too often included late in this planning process
at a stage when delayed material lead times conflict with
site surveys and installation schedules. To date, the
success rate of these elements at filling short fused
requirements has been remotely successful, however, by the
application of labor intensive brute force techniques.
-- There appears to be some OC officers, including
senior experienced technicians, spending a considerable
amount of their time performing logistics functions. This
was predominantly noted in DND.
-- The Office of Communications modernization pro-
gram has not adequately integrated its logistics require-
ments for providing current and follow-on support to
CRAFT, MERCURY, as well as RECAP.
-- Administrative logistics services of a common
concern would be more proficient, effective, and respon-
sive to OC requirements if they were provided centrally.
-- There appears to be a lack of understanding on
the part of some OC managers of what the OC logistics net-
work is, its limitations, and its capabilities. Conse-
quently, OL support professionals are not briefed or
trained in OC missions and functions. In the moderniza-
tion process there is a need to train OC and OL officers
in the Office of Communications on their respective dis-
ciplines.
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-- There appears to be a traditional "mistrust" be-
tween OL and OC managers. Proper cross training would, we
believe, correct this perception. It is suggested that
Logistics disciplines be included in all OC training pro-
grams.
-- Recent management initiatives on the rotation
of OC officers to OL has begun to dismantle the traditional
"invisible barrier" between the two offices. With the new
Headquarters Building initiative and expanding OC engineer-
ing requirements world wide, consideration should be given
to expanding this exchange of officers to the engineering
discipline.
-- tion of authority to the Director,
for construction and A&E design
contracting would reduce the administrative burdens
associated with the paper flow between Headquarters
CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS:
It appears that for the most part the logistics support
throughout the Office of Communications is too decentralized.
While the assignment of logistics elements to various compo-
nents appears to address the close support necessary, it is
believed that many of those elements are simply overcontrolled
and therefore overwhelmed. The methodologies used by some OC
logistics organizations are for the most part antiquated, labor
intensive, paper dependent, and need modernization. Excessive
control seems to prevail in some instances. Duplication of ef-
forts appear in other elements impacting programming, budget-
ing, and stocking levels which sometimes seriously hinder the
Office's capability to respond in a timely manner. Based on
these factors and others mentioned above, it is recommended
that a centralized Logistics group be established and staffed
to respond to the established priorities of the Office of
Communications. Because of the present evolutionary events
(CAPITALIZATION) within the Office and the type of support the
Office of Communications is providing, it appears that a
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streamlined group structured to respond in a rapid OC mission
oriented manner is required. Therefore, it is recommended that
the existing Material Support Section (MSS) form the nucleus of
such a group (FND would then have to be provided a logs support
element similar to that of DND). Additionally, it is recom-
mended that a procurement team dedicated solely to the Office
of Communications and its requirements be added to this group
to make it a fully independent total office-oriented service
capability. It is further recommended, to enhance coordination
and improve efficiency in both the Office of Communications and
the Office of Logistics, that the Chief and Deputy of this
group be a career OC officer and a career OL officer respec-
tively. This would facilitate familiarity within both organi-
zations to get things done in a rapid, timely, correct manner
at the group management level. The logistics requirements of
OC would thus be centrally managed from within this group. The
Chief and Deputy would be responsible for participating in the
analysis of all new OC requirements, plus examining those of
the OC operating divisions, and the OC support divisions. Ad-
ditionally, the group would be responsible for participating in
routine planning, programming, and budgeting for on-going sup-
port required by all OC divisions. This managerial structure
would enhance coordination between elements of both the Office
of Logistics and Office of Communications and ensure proper
coordination on all aspects of Logistics support requirements.
It is our opinion that the Chief and Deputy of this group must
first, have the latitude to perform these unilateral functions
with minimal bureaucratic involvement; and secondly, must be
free to respond to requirements which have been established and
prioritized by the Director of Communications. Therefore, we
believe the group must report to a neutral element, one of
whose functions would be to establish the priorities of the
Office. Consequently, it is recommended that this group be
located in, and function under, the direct control of the
Management and Liaison Staff (MLS) whose charter most aligns
with the envisioned multifaceted functions of this group.
Consideration of placing this group in other locations such as
AMD was discussed with many other division chiefs and
representatives. However, after further analysis this was
rejected believing the priorities of the Office would not be
adequately addressed and very well might bury the group in
unnecessary bureaucracy. A step which we believe would
certainly limit the groups freedom of action -- which we
believe is paramount to its success.
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Finally, we would like to recommend that a second working
group be established to develop implementation plans for those
recommendations contained in this report you desire to have
pursued.
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