Last week in Phoenix AZ, at the DoD Maintenance Symposium, I was fortunate to hearGeneral Ann Dunwoody, Commanding General of US Army Materiel Command. She inspired the audience with a call to action, namely to consider the reality for the US military in light of a future with a significant budget deficit. In short, that means less money to support the war fighter.
Since 2001, the DoD maintenance budget has been growing by billions of dollars each year, resulting in fewer dollars available and an increasing cost of doing business. I came away with an even deeper conviction that IUID and automatic data capture represent the keystone to addressing this problem. Consider the multiplied cost savings of one simple activity such as knowing the exact location of existing parts or spares for vehicle maintenance. Think of the savings when IUID eliminates the need to procure new parts at the point of maintenance. IUID also means fewer parts or spares required for inventory since key parts can be located and dispatched for just-in-time use. This is the kind of visibility that the US military lacks today which drives up operating costs. And it is the visibility provided by IUID that will carry us through this crisis.
