DOD RFID Program : DoD Discusses New Supply Tracking System With Vendors

By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA; American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2004 -- Defense Department officials met this week with hundreds of vendors to discuss plans for implementing technology common among today's retailers to revolutionize the supply chain to the battlefield.

The three-day summit at the Washington Hilton began April 6.

Military logisticians hope to take the "factory to the foxhole" by using radio- frequency identification, or RFID, tags to improve supply chains while reducing cost. The RFID technology has become part of a new DoD initiative making it mandatory for all items in the department's inventory to be distinguishable from one another.

Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Michael Wynne said RFID technology is a way for DoD to ensure military forces get everything they need, from "food and water to supply parts."

Many retail stores today, most notably the Wal-Mart chain, use RFID tags to track products and control inventory costs. State transportation departments use the technology to monitor tollbooth traffic, and farmers use it to keep track of cattle.

Wynne said he intends to have RFID tags "capture information about all critical assets as they move throughout DoD's supply chain" to decrease supply-chain costs and improve efficiency. Military logisticians will know exactly what is on a shipment pallet or container without having to unwrap it, he said...