Materiel Distribution: Improving Support to Army Operations in Peace and War.
Abstract
An Army study of DoD distribution reveals a catalog of chronic problems. In previous conflicts, users of the system habitually resubmitted, over and over, the same orders for the same part or supply. Backlogs swelled at both CONUS and theater ports. Documentation about what had been shipped and received was, at best, spotty. Despite high level attention and repeated attempts to correct the problems, operations Desert Storm and Restore Hope show that they continue to exist. The conditions that have allowed the Army to work around distribution problems are fast disappearing. Force reductions will shrink the Army from 18 divisions to 10 or fewer. Thus, the large pool of parts, equipment, and manpower that has been drawn on to support past operations will disappear. Furthermore, the nature of operations will probably change. Units in Operation Desert Storm had months to prepare. But short notice operations will not provide the luxury of time to establish stockpiles of supplies in the theater. In future contingencies, units will have to depend on the distribution system. To address the above distribution problem, RAND has undertaken this study to analyze the current Army materiel distribution process, quantify the extent of problems, and identify new concepts that offer the most promise for improving support to Army operations in peace or war.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA324933
Entities
People
- Douglas W. Mciver
- Jerry M. Sollinger
- John M. Halliday
- Kevin M. Beam
- Nancy Y. Moore
Organizations
- RAND Corporation