by Jørgen Bo Leimand, Naestved
The 19th NATO Life Cycle Management Conference (LCM) took place in Brussels on 23-24 January 2024. The conference was attended by more than hundred delegates coming from more than eighteen nations. When you see those figures, you might wonder how can they do this? The LCM community is based on several different actors which I will try to describe in the following before giving an overview of the conference this year.
There are three important pillars that support LCM. First there is the NATO Main Group (MG) AC/327. From the very beginning, this group has taken LCM on board and used ISO 15288 as the basic document for the work in the MG. The MG has established several Working Groups (WGs), and it is the work of those WGs that produce all NATO LCM documents to be used by NATO as well as industry, if the industry wants to eligible for defence contracts. WG members work on a voluntary basis in their free time, they are not paid by any for doing this work. It is due to the nations willing to support their meetings in Brussels, that the work is done.
The second pillar is industry, represented by the NATO
Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) and by the NIAG Industrial Interface Group (NIIG). It is vital to maintain a close relationship between government representatives and industry. In a rapidly changing world, it is deeply important that both parties are kept up to date on the evolution of various facets, especially with regard to the IT domain. This requires
mutual trust.
The third pillar is Mittler Report. From the very beginning of the NATO LCM programme, and after the North Atlantic Council (NAC) endorsed LCM to be used by NATO and the agencies in 2005, Mittler Report proposed that it, together with the MG AC/327, should be responsible for establishing a NATO LCM conference. However, it was Mittler Report who took the risk as none of the players in the LCM community had any idea of whether or not the endeavour would succeed. The 2024 conference convincingly demonstrated that the decision taken in 2006 was the right one.
The 2024 conference was organized in four blocks. The first block concentrated on the LCM business in relation to NATO. A speaker from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) gave an overview of how LCM was an integral part of the In-service Support (ISS), Supply Chain Management, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, Engineering Services, Technical Documentation (interactive), and Disposal. Then, a speaker from the NATO Defence Investment Division highlighted the NATO Policy for Systems Life Cycle Management, C-M(2005)0108, and stated that it is NATO policy that Nations and NATO Authorities apply the principles of systems life cycle management as laid out in the policy document. Finally, a speaker from NIAG and NIIG explained how they provide industrial liaison to AC/327 LCMG, industrial advice, viewpoints, and expertise, as required.
The second block was kicked off by a speaker from Leonardo outlining the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in relation to condition-based maintenance and predictive maintenance. This was followed by a Systecon speaker explaining how machine learning strengthens the LCM-analysis toolbox. Later, a Millog Oy representative discussed the use of AI in incident management benefits from data analytics to anticipate and prevent possible software defects or problems before they occur. The final speaker was from Contextere, and highlighted that despite automation, digitisation, and predictive planning initiatives, the reality is that industrial workers make ‘minute to minute’ decisions that impact productivity, safety, and ultimately cost.
In the third block, an NSPA representative explained the major LCM activities performed by the NSPA in support of different categories of UAV systems, as well as the challenges related to each system. Then a presenter explained how to meld advanced analytics, machine learning, and intuitive AI tools making them accessible actionable for the users. It was followed by a presentation (Raytheon EAGLE) on how an integrated support plan can deliver speed through additive manufacturing. This block was closed by a presentation from MBDA and TÜBITAK BILGEM about the scientific approach to reliability in product design by using the advantages of performing reliability tests and use of physics of failure models to understand failures.
The fourth and final block focused on the use of vehicles. A speaker from Trout Gmbh outlined how their use in challenging scenarios, such as navigating in rugged terrain, can result in various issues. Sensors are used to collect data and an AI process is used to ensure the availability of the vehicle and make life cycle costs easier to calculate. The last presentation came from a Roketsan representative, and suggested a framework to meticulously align product life cycle stages with project management phases, leveraging the adaptability of Disciplined Agile methodologies, and introduced a cross-functional dashboard to facilitate efficient product management. This presentation tied it altogether as business agility is the key to bridge Product Life Cycle and Project Management.
During the whole conference, four exhibitors were present, including Raytheon Intelligence & Space from the USA, Systecon from Sweden, TFD Europe Ltd. from the UK, and Patria ISP Oy from Finland.
Based on this participant’s experience, the conference was a laudable success. It was organised in a highly efficient manner, the selection of presenters and presentations were excellent, and last, but not least, the delegates were highly motivated, as seen in the lively Q&A sessions.
