Implementing Item Unique Identification in DoD

Defense AT&L, July-August, 2007

"Making a Difference for Asset Visibility, Management, and Accountability" (Defense AT & L, May-June 2007) explained the Department of Defense program for Item Unique Identification--IUID--a capability that marks items with a globally unique identifier using high-capacity machine-readable 2-D marking.

How are the Services and OSD progressing in implementation of the program?

Navy Leverages IUID for More Efficient and Effective Missile Tracking

Cdr. William R. Hayes, USN * Robert A. Mueller Thomas Steffen * Mark R. Sunday

Under various laws and regulations such as the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and Foreign Assistance Act (FAA), the U.S. government has a continual responsibility, from time of title transfer until eventual disposal, to ensure defense articles and services sold and/or transferred to foreign countries are being used for their intended purposes. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) established the "Golden Sentry" Program to ensure proper end-use monitoring of government-to-government transfers. Currently, enhanced end-use monitoring (which has more stringent requirements than regular end-use monitoring and applies to specific variants of missiles and other items) requires annual inventories at storage sites in the foreign countries--a totally manual and labor-intensive process.

Under sponsorship from the DoD UID Policy Office, the Navy International Programs Office (NIPO) executed an IUID--Item Unique Identification--project ("IUID Missile Tracking"--IMT) to leverage IUID asset information and generate shipping documentation, while allowing asset verification for missiles and other assets being sold, shipped and inventoried under the DSCA Golden Sentry Program.

The IMT project demonstrated the ability to capture missile IUID data, seal the missile in its container, create appropriate shipping documents, and observe the IUID-based transactions as the missile is shipped, received, and inventoried. The missile Unique Item Identifier (UII) would be related to its container UII and then related to a serialized container seal. This data would also cross-reference with the Transportation Control Number. Data would be integrated into existing DSCA programs, including the Security Cooperation Information Portal and Enhanced Freight Tracking System (EFTS).

Through the execution of three demonstrations and the application of Lean Six Sigma principles, the IMT team showed significant process improvements. Automated inventory processing allowed the removal of fork trucks, safety observers, and laborers to open containers for inspection. Data movement was streamlined and replaced manual database updates. Other operational benefits were documented, such as minimized USG time in foreign country magazines and improved visibility from origin to destination. In addition, we expect financial benefits (reduced USG in-country and service program office manpower) and benefits outside direct IUID impact (streamlined Customs processes and host nation inventory processes for example).

The results were impressive: New processes reduced inventory time by 95 percent, inventory cost by 97 percent, and labor expense by 67 percent; inventory visibility increased to 100 percent annually; data accuracy improved to 100 percent. In addition, the use of seals greatly improves security during transportation; and provides visibility at title transfer, shipping, and freight forwarding. It also allows direct integration into EFTS and reduces risks of personnel injury and damage to missiles. A conservative business case analysis showed annual (unburdened) labor savings of $335,000. The additional savings in travel expense, safety, and significantly increased homeland defense security are compelling.

Recommendations going forward include adoption of the new IUID-based processes by the DSCA; production integration with EFTS; contract modifications to accomplish IUID/seals at original equipment manufacturer plants for new production; and field retrofits of bar-coded container seals to be accomplished during follow-on end use monitoring inventories.

Hayes is director of logistics policy at Navy International Programs Office. Mueller is founder and CEO of BNet Corporation, which provides wireless solutions for real-time asset visibility. Steffen is a retired Navy Supply Corps captain and president of Paladin Logistics Inc. Sunday, engineering director at Raytheon Missile Systems, is responsible for special projects for Mission Support.

Falcon Flex: Turning Maintenance Information into Air Power

Kevin J. Berk

"Can we improve the reliability and availability of F-16 avionics while reducing costs?" This is the question that drove the creation of the Falcon Flex program. In combination with the Defense Repair Information Logistics System (DRILS) maintenance data collection tool, Falcon Flex was established to develop business practices, using IUID/serial number tracking-based techniques, to enable disciplined tracking and analysis of serialized parts. This improved serialized maintenance data collection, at the point of maintenance, enables meaningful analysis to generate "actionable intelligence," which is used to identify failure trends and perform root cause analysis to increase the effectiveness of F-16 avionics sustainment. DRILS and Falcon Flex have made great strides in capturing and utilizing maintenance data respectively to lower costs and increase aircraft availability to the warfighter--effectively turning maintenance information into air power. DRILS facilitates the documentation and analysis of maintenance data with an easy-to-use interface and serial number tracking capability. The tool, which began humbly as a Microsoft Excel[R] spreadsheet in the depot shops, has evolved into a sophisticated Web-based application available worldwide that allows technicians in the field and at depots and contractor repair facilities to easily record and retrieve maintenance data by serial number. The focus of this powerful application is at the most vital point--the point of maintenance. This serialized maintenance data collection enables the integrated product team engineers to determine root causes of failures for both the part-number family and specific units, isolating the low performers.