A recent TDY serving as an analyst for an exercise at Ramstein AFB turned into an opportunity to serve on a JTF for a real-world scenario. AFIT professor Lt Col Rob Neher (ENC) and AFIT graduates Maj Jennifer Walston (Ph.D., 2007, Operations Research), Maj Marcus Ferguson (M.S., 2000, Operations Research), and Capt Brandon Dias (M.S., 2005, Applied Mathematics) were participating in Austere Challenge 08. They were asked to extend their stay at Ramstein and support JTF Nomad Fire, which was formed to support President Bush’s February trip to Africa. Lt Col Neher was asked to serve as the J9 director and the former AFIT students were asked to serve as analysts within J9.

JTF Nomad Fire was largely a logistical task to get all of the President’s support equipment and personnel on the ground on time in Africa. In addition to moving the equipment that supported the President directly, the food, water, and medical supplies available in Africa were not suitable for military use, so it all had to be flown in as well. This was for six different locations in Africa, with some of the distances between locations as far as the distance between New York and Los Angeles. In addition to Air Force assets, Navy, Army, and Marine components were on the ground and off the coast to protect and support the President. Lt Col Neher said, “I was amazed about two things. One, the amount of support equipment and personnel the President needs when traveling overseas, and two, the lack of modern equipment that Africa had on the ground to support the President.”

The J9 analysis team did not have time to use or develop sophisticated analysis. They primarily used basic metrics and statistics to determine if required equipment was getting to place on time and to project if there were going to be any equipment shortfalls for the mission. Turning data from Excel spreadsheets into useable information via powerpoint slides turned into their primary mission. Gathering the relevant data could sometimes prove to be a challenge.

With operations going at a brisk pace, the last thing the various J-staff leaders are concerned about is data. They have troops on the ground and many deadlines to meet. However, “the JTF commander, Lt Gen Bishop, was very interested in the data and enjoyed timely analysis. His demands for timely data made it easier for the J9 team to convince the other JTF members that it would be a good thing to provide needed data,” said Lt Col Neher.