A nation must think before it acts.
Defense Acquisition Research Journal
Using big data and predictive analytics, more segments of the U.S. military will be able to create decision support tools that help them not only to carry out their missions more efficiently, but also to streamline their logistical requirements. Within the military’s medical community, the Surgical Crit-ical Care Initiative (SC2i) created one such tool that enables physicians to accurately assess the need for massive blood transfusions. To quantify the impact that tool could have on military logistics, SC2i developed a combat model that simulated a military campaign between NATO and Russian forces in eastern Poland and the Baltics. SC2i found that its tool would reduce NATO’s blood product consumption by 71,459 units, eliminating the need for 110 helicopter resupply missions and saving 25,740 gallons of fuel and 129,366 pounds of airlift capacity.