Did the Department of Defense blink on its RFID mandate?

That question was raised when the DoD pushed back its mandate for radio frequency identification compliance from January 2005 to a February–April timeframe.

The DoD, however, says nothing has changed. "As has been stated previously, the DoD policy requiring RFID implementation has a starting date of January 2005," said Alan Estevez, assistant deputy under secretary of defense for supply chain integration. "This start date has not changed."

Estevez points out that January 1^st was never a deadline for all 43,000 suppliers. Rather, that was the date for suppliers who renewed their contracts in October 2004. Other suppliers will be asked to comply on a rolling schedule as their contracts are renewed."