DoD has taken steps to improve in-transit visibility of its assets through efforts developed by several defense components, but no single DoD organization is fully aware of all such efforts because they are not centrally tracked, GAO has said in calling or a comprehensive strategy to guide in-transit visibility efforts.
GAO found 34 in-transit visibility efforts in use to track the identity, status, and location of DoD assets and personnel from origin to consignee or destination. DoD estimates it invested over $171 billion in fiscal 2011 in its logistics operations, including supply chain management, and has obligated about $1.2 billion for 2009-2015 on in-transit visibility efforts, according to GAO-13-201.
It said DoD currently conducts some informal coordination and information sharing regarding its in-transit visibility efforts, but information is not consistently shared through a formal mechanism.
In 2012, DoD began developing a draft strategy for asset visibility and in-transit visibility that includes overarching goals and objectives, but it does not include information on DoD’s planned resources and investments to achieve those goals or key external factors that could affect the achievement of the goals, GAO said.
It said DoD plans to have the draft strategy completed by June and to use it to guide and integrate related department-wide efforts to improve end-to-end supply chain management and support to the services, and that component will be expected to develop an execution plan that contains information about its in-transit visibility efforts.
DoD agreed with a recommendation to ensure the plan receives complete information from the components that addresses all key elements of a strategic plan.
