GDSS: Moving Troops, Cargo and Supplies for the Air Mobility Forces

AMC crew from the 105th Airlift Wing airlifted 90,000 pounds of water and meals ready to eat onto a C-17 to disaster-stricken areas hit by Hurricane Maria. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Chelsea Smith)

Every 2.8 minutes, an Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft takes off to fulfill its global mission – to rapidly move personnel and equipment anywhere in the world when needed, and to sustain that force as long as needed.

The AMC relies on the Global Decision Support System (GDSS) from Tapestry Solutions, a Boeing Company. GDSS helps mobility aircrews successfully plan and execute core missions – ranging from strategic airlift, aerial refueling and tactical airdrop to aeromedical evacuation.

GDSS is the principal command-and-control (C2) system that provides mission planning, scheduling and tracking for the AMC, which serves as the air component of the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM). GDSS enables users to visualize key aspects of a mission, including weather, flight plans, diplomatic clearances and airfield detail, to quickly and efficiently determine mission status and make informed decisions.

Tapestry has played a key role in the development, sustainment and enhancement of GDSS since 1992. Last year alone, GDSS supported air mobility operations involving more than 68,000 missions comprising over 142,000 sorties, moving 667,000 passengers and 500,000 tons of cargo.

Members of the of the U.S. Air Force 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron assist patients on a C-17 Globemaster III medical transport flight flown by the AMC. (DoD photo by Senior Airman Chris Willis)

“We are proud to contribute to the success of the AMC’s Rapid Global Mobility missions with GDSS,” said Kurt Meidel, Director of Strategic Operations, Tapestry Solutions. “GDSS provides unprecedented visibility of aircrews, cargo aircraft and ongoing missions on a fully integrated C2 platform. This gives the AMC the ability to rapidly respond – anywhere in the world within hours – to support military operations and humanitarian relief efforts.”

GDSS features robust decision-making tools, data-fusion technologies, as well as integrated information displays. Operating on unclassified and classified networks, GDSS replaced multiple legacy systems that supported planning and operations of military flights and transportation needs for all military branches. It combines both unit and force-level planning tools in a network-centric environment, maximizing interoperability between mission partners.

GDSS interfaces with over 20 additional C2 systems, including the Consolidated Air Mobility Planning System (CAMPS), the Global Air Transportation and Execution System (GATES) and the USTRANCOM’s Integrated Data Environment & Global Transportation Network Convergence (IGC).

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