Case Study: Achieving "Last Tactical Mile" Supply Chain Visibility Using Active RFID

During Operation Desert Storm, the term "mountains of iron" was coined to describe the thousands of unopened shipping containers sitting in the desert, rusting away, because the contents were unknown or the materials were grossly oversupplied. Since then, there have been dramatic changes in the way inventory is distributed and managed by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). One such change was the implementation of a new technology solution: the active radio frequency identification (RFID) in-transit visibility (ITV) network and subsequent introduction of the Portable Deployment Kit (PDK). Using a mobile RFID reader and an Iridium modem, this solution enables the location tracking, receipt, and management of inventory in remote regions with no telecommunications infrastructure. By capturing this critical "last tactical mile" information and linking it back to the centralized command and control, better decisions can be made, ultimately streamlining inventory and supply chain management.