A Report on Current Logistics System Concepts

Recognizing the changing functional requirements and technological environment throughout DoD, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Logistics) has directed the modernization of the Defense Logistics Standard Systems (DLSS), which cover requisitioning, inventory management and control, transportation, contact administration, and other specialized functions. The effort is known as Modernization of Defense Logistics Standard Systems (MODELS). The need for MODELS is intensified by the Military Services and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) modernizing their procedures and systems at every level of logistics management and function, and their exploitation of new technology in data processing, computer hardware, and data communication. The following findings have resulted from our examination of the environments in which DLSS operate, their automated systems, and the current projects of the Services and DLA for modernizing logistics data processing: 1) Functional requirements - e.g., logistics management by weapon system, bar coding, and electronic procurement - continue to change and expand. The volume of information that must be exchanged accurately and swiftly among logistics units has grown more than tenfold; 2) A variety of vendors provide DoD with hardware, software, and network communications. Therefore, systems that support logistics functions and DLSS procedures will be incompatible, even with Service modernization efforts; and 3) Because the individual Services and DLA differ somewhat in their logistics activities, to change policies and standards is a lengthy process.