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Maintaining resiliency
As our conversation evolves , Kurt turns his attention to some of the latest trends and challenging circumstances facing supply chains around the globe from technology to geopolitical disruption . “ As a supply chain organization , I think we somewhat enjoy the chaos ,” he laughs . “ When supply chains operate correctly , there aren ’ t many people that pause to think about how a product got to them , but when something goes wrong , all eyes are on the supply chain . In these cases , I leverage the combined expertise of my team to find the fastest , most accurate solution .
“ However , using complex math and IT systems , we spend a tremendous amount of time forecasting annual requirements and anticipating potential challenges to stay ahead of the curve . There are , of course , unforeseen challenges , for which we reserve emergency powers , and we must strategically balance resilience and efficiency to better manage such future disruptions . “ While all supply chains must find the delicate balance between resilience and efficiency , military supply chains have always been more resilient than commercial ones , purely because the nature of military operations is more focused on the unexpected . We ’ re constantly striving to improve the resiliency of the Navy ’ s supply chain , which often means stocking material at places of need in advance of demand , so that in the event of transport disruption , we already have some material available for use .
“ Most modern supply chains couldn ’ t function without technology , and I have seen quite an evolution throughout my career ,” Kurt says . “ At NAVSUP , we ’ re using AI and machine learning ( ML ) technologies to improve our decision-making processes , as the algorithms can observe stock levels in real time and provide us with updates when more stock is needed . As the US
Department of Defense is preparing to pass its first audit , we ’ re also looking at Internet of Things ( IoT ) and tagging technology to keep track of materials and parts so that we know exactly where our products are at any given time .”
While technology is an important aspect of NAVSUP ’ s strategy , the organization must simultaneously manage its cybersecurity stance to protect assets and information . “ It ’ s a never-ending battle ,” Kurt states when we ask about cybersecurity . “ As we improve our cyber posture , others are enhancing their ability to penetrate systems . There ’ s a recent story , for instance , where Google claims to have used an AI tool – a large language model agent called Big Sleep – that can search software by scanning codes to identify what ’ s called zero-day vulnerabilities .”
Defined as a security flaw within software , zero-day vulnerabilities are risks unknown to the vendor , for which there are no patches or easy fixes . “ Although this is very recent research , this new AI tool represents a new and challenging area within cybersecurity , as it could replace the current process of humans searching for vulnerabilities ,” Kurt suggests . “ One potential way we can stay vigilant is by using other technologies to identify vulnerabilities and putting together unique combinations that can ’ t be found using AI . This is very early in the plans though , and we ’ ll continue to monitor trends and developments across the AI space .
“ We have a strong team , and we partner with other parts of the Navy , federal government , and the Department of Defense , as well as our commercial suppliers , to keep abreast of what ’ s happening and how other organizations are running their supply chains ,” he adds . “ I also participate in several supply chain leadership groups where we discuss upcoming challenges and opportunities in the supply chain space .”
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