Photo By Lance Cpl. Brady Hathaway | Mr. Scott Yoder with the Command Data Analytics Office, 2nd Marine Logistics Group,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – In today’s world, data drives everything. Whether it’s hand-drafted information that’s carefully observed, assessed, and aggregated by a team of experts, or the ones and zeros pinging behind a computer’s AI program that output identifiable patterns, nothing in 2025 is possible without data analytics. Modern case studies in battlefields across the globe prove that the ability to recognize trends and analyze recurring behaviors is a critical component of success in present-day conflict.
However, data analysis doesn’t just enhance battlefield decision-making, it can also add value to day-to-day operations on the home front that significantly increase operational readiness within the Fleet Marine Force.
To enhance innovation, operational speed, and combat effectiveness, 2nd Marine Logistics Group established one of the first Command Data Analytics Office’s within a Fleet Marine Force unit. Formed in October 2023, the CDAO serves as a hub for improving the way that 2nd MLG analyzes data and implements digital transformation and ethical artificial intelligence use into enabled decision making for its customers. Led by Maj. Julie Aho, the Chief Data Analytics Officer for 2nd MLG, a small team has worked data analytics and AI into multiple commands and sections within 2nd MLG as a capability to improve operations.
“We stood this up before the Marine Corps had a formal roadmap,” said Aho. “We saw where the service was headed and we built a structure that could adapt and scale.”
In 2023, Maj. Aho’s two-person team helped pave the digital way forward for 2nd MLG, and in March 2024, the Marine Corps officially published an order on data and artificial intelligence that outlined service-wide guidance for initiatives that Aho’s team had already been working on for months.
At its core, the CDAO’s mission is to unlock the value in data and use it to enhance warfighting capabilities. This includes building user-friendly dashboards and advanced analytics tools through the Microsoft Power Platform to track manpower, medical readiness, supply chains, and tools that commands, sections, and even the commanding general can use in near real-time.
“The commanding general doesn’t have to wait for a PowerPoint slide deck on Monday morning,” Aho said. “With the commanding general’s App, she can see up-to-date data instantly, and in a format that actually enables decision-making,”
This digital transformation has cut hours of manual labor from staff workloads and replaced outdated spreadsheets and lengthy emails prone to human error with streamlined and secure data flows.
An example of the capabilities that 2nd MLG’s CDAO provides to its customers can be seen within the Command Inspector General Inspection Portal. Built in coordination with the CIG office, the portal consolidates inspection checklists, automates grading, and identifies trends across the command. Maj. Aho’s team effectively replaced a legacy system of Microsoft Word documents and Excel formulas plagued by error and inefficiency with a web-based solution that’s already saved hundreds of hours and provided increases in accurate feedback.
However, the CDAO isn’t just about implementing AI tools within Microsoft’s Power Platforms, it’s about transforming the way Marines and Sailors think. The 2nd MLG CDAO works with its customers to increase data literacy and empower leaders to use information as a strategic asset.
“Most Marines aren’t trained to manipulate raw data or spot trends across multiple system,” Aho said. “That’s where we come in, to bridge the gap between raw data and mission-critical insight.”
2nd MLG’s CDAO is helping identify performance indicators in high-risk areas such as suicide ideations, readiness lapses, and training discrepancies. These indicators provide insights that help leaders drive preventative actions before issues escalate and help understand causes and correlations that may not have been identified previously.
From aggregating manpower data to supporting supply and medical logistics, the 2nd MLG CDAO will continue to expand. Maj. Aho has high hopes for the future and has identified continuity as a necessity as 2nd MLG becomes a more agile and data-driven force. Personnel turnover is one of the largest issues in maintaining effective and historical data analysis.
“Without continuity, all of this can fall apart,” said Aho. “We need people who not only know the tools but understand the data, how to read it, validate it, and interpret it across systems.”
Even as the Marine Corps continues to shape it’s AI implementation strategy, 2nd MLG is already operationalizing the principles of a data-centric mindset implemented into a Fleet Marine Force unit. What began as an experimental office is now a model that Major Aho hopes will serve as a blueprint for integrating advanced analytics, automation, and AI implementation service-wide. CDAO will play a vital role in shaping the future of logistics and decision-making within 2nd MLG to streamline operations, enhance readiness tracking, and inform strategic planning across warfighting functions
2nd MLG’s CDAO isn’t waiting for perfect solutions, it’s building them now.
| Date Taken: | 07.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.04.2025 14:29 |
| Story ID: | 545512 |
| Location: | NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 2nd MLG Leads the Way in Command Data Analytics, by 1LT Jorin Hollenbeak, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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