The Global Decision Support System (GDSS) is the Mobility Air Forces (MAF) premiere Command and Control (C2) system within United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM’s) Defense Transportation System (DTS) providing world-wide, near real-time data to combatant commanders throughout the full spectrum of military operations. As the MAF’s principal C2 system, GDSS is the execution authority for mission management, providing robust capabilities in a net-centric environment, and allowing access and information sharing across unclassified and classified domains using continuous multi-master replicated databases.
GDSS interoperates with Air Force, Army, and Joint C2 systems, and interfaces with other key Department of Defense (DOD), USTRANSCOM, Joint and Air Mobility Command (AMC) C2 and transportation management systems while utilizing the USTRANSCOM Distributed Enclave architecture.
GDSS is an extension of the USTRANSCOM network providing a full computing infrastructure to include network, servers, security, and storage. Replication is provided using three near real-time replicated unclassified and classified C2 enclaves for redundancy and performance.
GDSS automates the planning, management, and execution of airlift and air refueling missions for over 19,000 users at 250 worldwide locations. GDSS is designed around a client-server environment composed of web applications, server processes, Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) relational database management system, database schema, and supporting utility scripts.
GDSS is a USTRANSCOM, Mission Assurance Category (MAC) level one, National Security System (NSS) system which requires a 99.999% availability.
GDSS consumers use the system to perform the Flight Management process, which provides a completed crew mission package and files flight plans with Air Traffic Control agencies.
GDSS user demographics include aircrew, airfield managers, C2 controllers, flight managers, intelligence, maintenance, mission planners, stage managers, transportation managers, and weather. GDSS directly draws and/or pushes data to the following systems:
Advanced Computer Flight Planning System, Virtual Threat Assessor, Single Mobility System, TRANSCOM Reference Data Management, AF Aircraft Maintenance System-GO81, Aviation Resource Management System, Operations Data and Web Services, Weather Data Analysis system, Air National Guard, Cargo Movement Operations System, Defense Enterprise Accounting Management System Consolidated Billing System, 15/17 Operational Weather Squadron, and Global Combat Support System; and also interfaces with 18 additional systems through the Mobility Enterprise Information System. Additionally, Aviation Operational Risk Management (AvORM) is a component application of GDSS.
Aviation Operational Risk Management (AvORM) is a component application of GDSS. The AvORM system provides integration of manual and automated analysis applications for AMC mission planning and execution, C2 systems. The AvORM analysis system includes human factors such as planning and scheduling tools to optimize aircrew utilization and enhance AMC military aviation operations. GDSS is migrating to the Government Cloud and will utilize an Agile methodology for development while transitioning from DevOps to DevSecOps lifecycle management.
AMC’s Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) and data foundational construct resides within the Mobility Enterprise Information Services (MEIS3). The MEIS3 environment is a collection of defined information/application services, running on a flexible hardware environment, exposing AMC’s C2/Total Asset Visibility (TAV) information to external/internal consumers. The services enhance data sharing, information sharing, and orchestrate event-driven activities. The MEIS3 provides the functional air operations and Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise information, data, and status in a form defined by the appropriate AMC functional communities to enhance decision-making and planning processes of the Combatant Commanders, Combined Force Air Component Commander, Joint Force Air Component Commander, Director of Mobility Forces and their staffs. AMC’s SOA foundation (i.e. MEIS3) is directly tied to AMC’s transportation business processes leveraging open architecture, adaptive environment, loosely-coupled components, real web applications (Web 2.0), and, in the near future, secure mobile-accessible applications. MEIS3 will be phased out as MEIS4 capabilities are fielded.
Additionally, USTRANSCOM has directed the migration of GDSS to a Cloud environment.
AMC/A6’s mission is to provide integrated Command, Control, Communications, and Computer Information (C4I) systems and manage strategic C4I resources in support of AMC’s global air mobility mission. At the highest level, GDSS users are mission operators from the military services, Department of Defense (DOD), and other Federal agencies. The capabilities required in the Command and Control of the Mobility Air Forces (MAF) include: Deploy and Distribute, Understand, Plan, Decide, Direct, and Execute. GDSS ties together these capabilities with the warfighter.
The GDSS Program of Record (POR) includes the following applications: GDSS (Core), AvORM, MEIS 3/MGOP, MCS, EMC, MSD, GDSS Training Suites, GDSS Exercise Suites, and Prototype Suites. Within this document these applications will be referred to as GDSS unless otherwise stated.
