Military supply-chain management

{{Short description|Logistics of producing and distributing military materials in times of war}} {{globalize|article|United States|date=September 2023}} {{History 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/s/10905.html |author=Defense Technical Information Center|title=DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms – Supply Chain Management |access-date=2009-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629174311/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/s/10905.html |archive-date=2011-06-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Terminology== 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/s/7360.html|author=Defense Technical Information Center |title=DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms – Supply |access-date=2009-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629174315/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/s/7360.html |archive-date=2011-06-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.<ref>Defense Technical Information Center, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110604221634/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/s/10904.html DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms – Supply Chain]</ref>

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.<ref>Defense Technical Information Center, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110604221929/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/s/7362.html DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms – Supply Control]</ref>

A supply point is a location where supplies, services and materials are located and issued. As a single moving entity,<ref>Belzer, D. J. N., [https://www.army.mil/article/215295/visualizing_distribution_as_an_effect_rather_than_as_a_service Visualizing distribution as an effect, rather than as a service], ''US Army Sustainment'', published 28 December 2018, accessed 25 September 2023</ref> a supply point location is temporary and mobile, normally being occupied for up to 72 hours.<ref>Defense Technical Information Center, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110604222007/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/s/11410.html DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms – Supply Point]</ref>

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.<ref>SCM Portal, [https://www.scm-portal.net/glossary/supplier_tiering.shtml?id=supplier_tiering Supplier Tiering], Procurement Glossary supplied by CIPS, accessed 11 July 2021</ref> The European Union refers to sub-suppliers in its objective to improve cross-border market access in the defence sector.<ref>EUR-Lex, [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018H0624 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</ref>

==Logistics== [[File:Navy Petty Officer fires a line to the USNS Supply in the Baltic Sea.jpg|thumb|Navy Petty Officer fires a supply line to the USNS Supply]] {{main|Military logistics}} 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.<ref>Defense Technical Information Center, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090628133800/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/l/5222.html DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms – Logistics]</ref>

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.<ref>Lines of Efforts in Order to Improve the Military Supply Chains Performance in Military Operations, [https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=ro&user=o6kpUWkAAAAJ&authuser=2&citation_for_view=o6kpUWkAAAAJ:_FxGoFyzp5QC Lines of Efforts in Order to Improve the Military Supply Chains Performance in Military Operations]</ref> 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.

thumb|The up / down stream flow of information, showing the flow of information in supply-chain management vs. logistics management systems.

==Limitations== {{Unreferenced section|date=August 2024}} 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|date=September 2023}} Military needs call for reliability of supply during both peace and war, as compared to price and technological factors.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://archive.today/20030621214609/http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/html2/p41401r.htm Department of Defense – Supply Chain Material Management Regulation]

Category:Military supply chain management Category:Military logistics Category:Military terminology