Pentagon seeks to address supplier shortage.

• Author: Ronis, Sheila R.

The lack of spare parts for aging equipment and the absence of suppliers for many specialized military items increasingly are issues of concern at the Defense Department.

The official name used to describe these problems is Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Materiel Shortages (DMSMS).

The undersecretary of defense for logistics and materiel readiness oversees a DMSMS working group that comprises various government agencies and industry representatives.

Defense Department Regulation 4140.1-R (Supply Chain Material Management) defines DMSMS as "the loss, or impending loss, of manufacturers of items or suppliers of items or raw materials. The military loses a manufacturer when the manufacturer discontinues or plans to discontinue production of needed components or raw materials."

Indicative of the importance that DMSMS issues are gaining at the Pentagon is the large attendance at the 2003 DMSMS conference, held in San Diego in August. Almost 700 people were in attendance, a record for that event.

The Air Force Materiel Command's Air Force Research Laboratory serves as the DMSMS program manager.

According to the Air Force Materiel Command's DMSMS Case Resolution Guide: "In today's high-tech Air Force, the ultimate performance of aircraft, missiles, and numerous other weapon systems depends on a multitude of important and often complex components. When one of these components (e.g. a microcircuit) becomes obsolete or unavailable, the impact can extend throughout the weapon system affecting cost and system readiness."

The services are all trying to "lessen or eliminate the risks caused by parts non-availability before the weapon system is adversely affected," the guide said.

Microelectronics is a major element of the DMSMS program, but not all. Commercial manufacturers increasingly lose interest in supporting the military market, because it is too small and not viewed as profitable. Many companies find that it is not economically feasible to support very small volumes and, in some cases, intermittent orders over long periods of time.

James A. Neely, program manager at the Air Force Research Laboratory, said that "DMSMS impacts every weapon system in the Air Force inventory--past, present and future."

Neely explained that DMSMS is driven by many factors, but one reason is the extended weapon system's life in the Air Force inventory. For example, B-52s may be used more than 94 years, C-130s more than 79 years, C-135s more than 86 years and the...