§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to introduce a system to enable equipment and stocks to be tracked throughout the armed forces supply train. [141811]
§ Mr. IngramSince April 2002, the Defence Logistics Organisation, has taken a number of steps to improve both the ability to track assignments and to measure the performance of our resupply systems.
In December 2002, the purchase of elements of the "Total Asset Visibility" system currently in service in the United States Department of Defense was approved, in order to enable interoperability with US forces. The system is known as "Total Asset Visibility (Minus)" (TAV (Minus)), and is a radio frequency identity system that enables remote and automated scanning of electronically tagged containers, pallets, and other consignments. It is linked to existing United Kingdom information systems.
The contract for TAV (Minus) was let on 23 January 2003, and installation work began four days later. The first phase of this work was divided into two parts. The first elements of Phase 1 to support early sustainment activity were completed by 15 February. The remaining elements of Phase 1, to give more comprehensive detail of strategic Supply Chain activity into Theatre, were completed by 31 March. Phase 2 of the system, to support redeployment and recovery, was installed from the end of decisive operations on 1 May, and was completed by the end of July. TAV (Minus) technology has since been integrated with information systems used by the Royal Navy. TAV (Minus) has genuinely enhanced our consignment tracking capability and offers an opportunity for further exploitation.