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http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/RFID-Technology-Keeping-Track-of-DoDs-Stuff-05816/

RFID Technology: Keeping Track of DoD’s Stuff
Jul 13, 2010 10:30 EDT
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Those Were the Days
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The US military has a vast store of supplies and equipment around the world. Keeping track of all that stuff has always been a challenge. In World War II, the US Army kept track using IBM punch cards and electric accounting machines (EAMs).

Well today, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have replaced punch cards and RFID readers and computers have replaced the EAMs. The RFID tags work like “wireless bar codes” that record, track, and manage the supplies and equipment of a modern networked military.

Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have focused attention on the performance of the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) supply chain management in support of deployed US troops. The availability of spare parts and other critical supply items affects the readiness and operational capabilities of the forces, and the supply chain can be a critical link in determining outcomes on the battlefield.

So, not only does RFID technology help keep track of supplies and equipment, it also helps get critical supplies to the battlefield at the right time and place and to secure supplies en route…

All of the US services are using RFID technology to improve the efficiency of their process. For example, the US Army, working with the US Deparment of Defense, launched the Radio Frequency In-Transit Visibility (RF-ITV) System, which uses RFID tags and satellites to trace the identity, status, and location of cargo from origin (depot or vendor) to destination. Data from these two technologies is combined, processed, and accessed via web-based maps and reports, and provides global, logistics support.

The Army’s Product Manager for Joint-Automatic Identification Technology (PM J-AIT) office manages the RF-ITV system, the world’s largest RFID-enabled asset visibility system, according to the US Army. Using the RF-ITV system, the US military tags approximately 16,000 cargo items each week. The office handles procurement of RF products and services.