Logistics of producing and distributing military materials in times of war
Military supply-chain management
is a cross-functional approach to
procuring
,
producing
and
delivering
products
and
services
for military
materiel
applications. Military
supply chain management
includes sub-suppliers, suppliers, internal information and
funds flow
.
[1]
Terminology
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]
A supply involves the
procurement
,
distribution
,
maintenance
while in
storage
, and salvage of supplies, including the determination of kind and
quantity
of supplies.
United States Department of Defense
definitions refer to a "producer phase" and a "consumer phase":
- the producer phase of a military supply extends from determination of procurement schedules to acceptance of finished supplies by the
military services
- the consumer phase of a military supply extends from receipt of finished supplies by the military services, through issue for use or
consumption
.
[2]
A
supply chain
is a set of linked activities associated with providing material from a
raw material
stage to an end user as a
finished good
.
[3]
Supply control is the process by which an item of supply is controlled within the supply system, including requisitioning, receipt, storage,
stock control
,
shipment
, disposition,
identification
, and
accounting
.
[4]
A supply point is a location where supplies, services and materials are located and issued. As a single moving entity,
[5]
a supply point location is temporary and mobile, normally being occupied for up to 72 hours.
[6]
Sub-suppliers are those suppliers who provide materials to other suppliers within the supply chain. In other supply chain management contexts they are referred to by tier, second-tier suppliers serving first-tier suppliers, etc.
[7]
The
European Union
refers to sub-suppliers in its objective to improve cross-border market access in the defence sector.
[8]
Logistics
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Navy Petty Officer fires a supply line to the
USNS Supply
Military logistics
is the science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of
armed forces
. In its most comprehensive sense, those aspects of
military operations
that deal with: a.
design
and
development
,
acquisition
,
storage
,
movement
,
distribution
,
maintenance
,
evacuation
, and
disposition
of materiel; b. movement, evacuation, and
hospitalization
of personnel; c. acquisition or
construction
, maintenance, operation and disposition of facilities; and d. acquisition or furnishing of services.
[9]
The main difference between the concept of logistic management and supply-chain management is the level of information gathered, processes, analysed and used for decision making. An SCM-based organization not only having concerns with its immediate clients but also handles and forecasts the factors affecting directly or indirectly their supplier or suppliers or on their client or clients. If we exclude this information part out of supply chain model then we can see the logistic management part of the business.
The up / down stream flow of information, showing the flow of information in supply-chain management vs. logistics management systems.
Limitations of military supply chain
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Unlike standard
supply-chain management
practices world-wide, some major concepts are not supported in the military domain. For example, the "
just-in-time
" (JIT) model emphasizes holding less (or no) inventory, whereas in
military
supply chains, due to the high costs of a stock-out (potentially placing lives in danger), keeping huge inventory is a more acceptable practice. Some examples of these are the
ammunition dump
and
oil depot
.
Likewise, the military
procurement
process has much different criteria than the normal business procurement process.
[
citation needed
]
Military needs call for reliability of supply during both peace and war, as compared to price and technological factors.
See also
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References
[
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]
- ^
Defense Technical Information Center.
"DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms ? Supply Chain Management"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-06-29
. Retrieved
2009-10-29
.
- ^
Defense Technical Information Center.
"DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms ? Supply"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-06-29
. Retrieved
2009-10-29
.
- ^
Defense Technical Information Center
,
DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms ? Supply Chain
- ^
Defense Technical Information Center,
DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms ? Supply Control
- ^
Belzer, D. J. N.,
Visualizing distribution as an effect, rather than as a service
,
US Army Sustainment
, published 28 December 2018, accessed 25 September 2023
- ^
Defense Technical Information Center,
DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms ? Supply Point
- ^
SCM Portal,
Supplier Tiering
, Procurement Glossary supplied by
CIPS
, accessed 11 July 2021
- ^
EUR-Lex,
Commission Recommendation (EU) 2018/624 of 20 April 2018 on cross-border market access for sub-suppliers and SMEs in the defence sector
, published 20 April 2018, accessed 25 September 2023
- ^
Defense Technical Information Center,
DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms ? Logistics
External links
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