RFID is up and running at the DoD

By all accounts, the Department of Defense's implementation of passive RFID in the supply chain has been a success.

By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large -- Modern Materials Handling, 9/28/2006

Starting next week, the Department of Defense (DoD) will issue contracts for deliveries of the products that feed, clothe and arm soldiers in the field.

For the second year in a row, those contracts will include a requirement for passive RFID tags on cartons and pallets.

The first shipments began arriving at Defense Distribution Depots in Susquehanna, Pa., and San Joaquin, Calif., last January. But the program is quickly rolling out beyond those two facilities. By Jan. 1, 2007, all DoD manufacturers and suppliers will be required to use RFID tags on all shipments.

By all accounts, the transition has been smooth. For one, implementing the technology today is easier than it was as recently as a few years ago, when Wal-Mart’s top 100 suppliers began working with RFID. That’s a result of the lessons learned by early adopters and new Gen 2 standards for passive RFID in the supply chain.

“The technology is just more robust,” says Damon Bramble, general manager of services with Alien Technology.

In addition, the DoD gained valuable experience working with RFID through strategic relationships with its top suppliers prior to the official roll out, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing and GE. “That was a watershed event,” says Susan Pearson, Alien’s vice president of government solutions. “Those suppliers not only came onboard, they’re implementing RFID in their own supply chains.”

Alien has developed an RFID implementation program specifically designed to help small companies comply with the DoD’s requirements.

Finally, it’s not just DoD Logistics that’s implementing RFID. Other branches of the armed services are joining in, according to Greg O’Connell, manager of government sales for Zebra Technologies.

“The Navy is using RFID to track goods from the distribution center onto and off of a ship,” says O’Connell. “And the Air Force is implementing a passive RFID tracking system into their cargo movement operations system (CMOS). This will allow them to load and unload planes much quicker.”

Read more information on the Department of Defense’s RFID implementation plan.