New software tools are helping the U.S. Marines manage a new year. The Marine Ammunition Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE) application, a suite of software tools for managing Marine Corps ammunition, was recently upgraded by an information technology development team at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC, Corona Division (Corona, Calif.). The eight-tool suite features a new graphical user interface (GUI) that allows marines to manage ammunition inventory, acquisition, certifications, safety, logistics, service life, and training.
The upgraded software supports existing Marine Corps policies regarding ammunition management while providing a secure unified access point to the business management of ammunition regardless of geographic location. “Every bullet, grenade and mortar has to be properly managed and accounted for long before it ever meets its intended target,” said Navy Captain Khary Hembree-Bey, commanding officer for NSWC Corona. “Our goal in reworking and improving MAKE was to focus on the needs of every Marine with a role in that management process—whether at home or down range—and ensure they are outfitted with a quality, modernized product that aids them in more efficiently doing their jobs.”
The software is hosted in the internet-based cloud in compliance with U.S. Navy goals for using data-driven cloud-based software solutions. Steve Wann, portfolio manager at NSWC Corona (www.navy.mil), explains: “The bottom line is any user who has been granted access to the MAKE enterprise system has the potential to access ammunition, safety, financial and other information associated with a specific Department of Defense Identification Code.” While versions of the software have been in use since 2006, the modifications made by the Navy’s team at NSWC Corona provide increased functionality while making the software easier to use, with a GUI that mimics other search engines.