A U.S. Department of Defense Agency Strengthens Logistics Resilience with AI and Real-Time Common Operating Picture

Overview

A U.S. Department of Defense agency is responsible for reliable access to fuel and energy for all military and government missions worldwide, operating one of the world’s largest and most complex energy logistics networks, With over 700 vendors, five modes of transportation, 600+ fuel sites, and 8,000 customers, the agency faced increasing challenges in maintaining end-to-end visibility, managing disruptions, and ensuring resilience across its global supply chain.

Business Need

Prior to collaborating with C3 AI, the agency relied on siloed systems and labor-intensive workflows to track fuel movement, forecast demand, and monitor vendor performance. Without a centralized operational system or advanced planning tools, the agency was forced to operate in a reactive mode — struggling to respond quickly to disruptions and unable to run scenario planning. This lack of visibility led to delays and limited agility in mission critical operations.

The Solution

To address these challenges, the agency partnered with C3 AI to implement C3 AI Contested Logistics, an AI-driven logistics resilience AI application, in a 16-week initial production deployment. C3 AI unified data from seven disparate systems to create a centralized, real-time digital twin of the agency’s global energy supply chain. With a visual, modern, and easy to use graphic interface and automated analytics layered on top, users can quickly identify risks, simulate disruptions, and validate resilience strategies with precision.

Results

With C3 AI Contested Logistics, the agency has transformed the agency’s operations to be proactive, nimble, and data driven. The application enables planning by providing realtime visibility across the entire fuel supply network and up to 120 days of foresight into potential disruptions. The application has empowered the agency to manage daily operations with more efficiency, saving over 20,000 staff hours annual and accelerating decision making across critical mission areas.

About the Agency

• 2.2B gallons of petroleum products delivered per year
• 5 modes of transportation
• 600+ fuel sites worldwide
• 8000+ customers

Project Highlights

• 16 weeks from project kickoff to production-ready application
• 200+ users onboarded with plans to scale to over 500 users
• 20,000+ hours saved annually through data synchronization and real-time insights
• 25+ millions of rows of data unified from 21 different sources – from inventory levels to weather
• 1.9+ billion gallons of bulk fuel products overseen and managed through the C3 AI Contested Logistics application

“This is by far a better tool for a Common Operating Picture versus other products that just give inventory.”

— Agency Operator