Operations Research at MITRE's Fort Leavenworth Site
Bruce Gorski
November 2010
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Bruce Gorski |
MITRE's Bruce Gorski knows that the right planning, research, and analysis can have a big impact on the outcome of a project. With more than two decades' experience in military operations research and analysis, Gorski provides operational, technical, and analytical support to the Army's Training and Doctrine Command Analysis Center (TRAC) in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. TRAC is an Army analysis agency that conducts research on potential military operations around the world.
Gorski started at MITRE's Fort Leavenworth site in 2007. His work there covers a broad range of technologies and techniques including: force effectiveness analysis; capability assessments; communication and network analyses; modeling and simulation requirements; command and control research; and data integration and analysis.
"One of the first projects I supported was the TRAC-led High Capacity Communications Capability Analysis of Alternatives [HC3 AOA]," he says. "The objective was to compare ground terminal alternatives that could provide more capability using both current and future satellite constellations. To accomplish this, I reached across MITRE and other agencies to identify the technical experts, collect data, and develop and document study alternatives. The Army used the analysis to look for ways to provide additional ground, high-capacity communications capability to our troops.
MITRE's Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, site
MITRE has provided support to the Combined Arms Operations Research Activity (CAORA—now the Training and Doctrine Command Analysis Center) since the 1980s and established a presence with the National Simulation Center (NSC) in 1993. Shortly thereafter, MITRE officially established its Fort Leavenworth site to provide support to both the NSC and TRAC. During the past year, the site has also expanded its work program to support the Combined Arms Center, Capability Development Integration Directorate (CAC CDID) that was recently designated as the Army's Mission Command Center of Excellence. |
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"Another project I worked on was the TRAC-led Network Transport Capabilities Based Assessment. Our team provided technical and analytic support to help TRAC identify transport issues from the soldier up to the Joint Task Force."
Providing Analytic Capabilities to the Army
More recently Gorski was on a MITRE team assisting the Army's Program Executive Office Command, Control Communications Tactical. On that project, he helped link commercial-off-the-shelf tools to provide a Web-based command and control portal for a coalition force.
"On the portal project my tasks included developing scenario, operational data, and analytic views for the portal and providing a business intelligence data analysis capability," he explains. "While I initially created it in Excel for the demonstration, I later worked with other team members to establish the capability in the portal using MS Dashboard Designer. I also used other tools to develop key performance indicators, scorecards, reports, and dashboards so that the user can manipulate the data using a Web portal."
He found the team aspect of the portal work to be invigorating. "Interaction among team members was fantastic," he says. "I thought it was exciting work because it addressed Army command and control issues associated with stability operations and irregular warfare."
Overall, Gorski has found MITRE to be well suited to support the broad range of issues that TRAC addresses for the Army. "For instance, in the HC3 AOA work I did early on for MITRE, I collaborated with 57 different technical experts from across the company supporting Army, Air Force, and Navy projects. I thought it really demonstrated the company's ability to share knowledge and resources and to act as an independent adviser."
He adds, "I have found both the MITRE staff and the sponsor staff to be great to work with. From my perspective, one of the true benefits of being at a site is the daily interaction with the customer."
There's No Place Like Home
For Gorski and his wife and two children, coming to MITRE provided an opportunity to return to an area he previously called home. "We lived in Lansing, a town just outside Fort Leavenworth, from 2001 to 2005," explains Gorski, "and then we were in Washington, D.C., for two years. When I came to MITRE in 2007, I was happy to have the opportunity to return to Fort Leavenworth."
In fact, he liked his old neighborhood so much he bought a house around the corner from his previous home. "We like the small-town atmosphere, and the quality of life is fantastic. We're only about 30 minutes northwest of Kansas City so we have access to many of the same types of cultural and sporting activities of major cities, such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals."
He admits however, that much of his free time is spent close to home. "I really enjoy spending time with my family, swimming, bowling, and gardening. I am also an avid home-improvement project person. Last summer I renovated my basement—I got it done just in time for college football season!"
—by Kay M. Upham
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