Main Frameset
DIRECTORY 
GIDEP Home / Data / DMSMS /
There is a growing concern within the Department of Defense (DoD) and industry over the ability to maintain the operational readiness of many of the older weapon systems, while controlling operations and support costs. As weapon systems remain in service longer than originally planned, repair part support becomes more difficult and expensive. Original manufacturers and other supply sources decline as service life is extended. In some cases, skills needed to sustain the systems are lost; in others, drawing packaged are unavailable; or system parts that are wearing out were never planned for replacement.
To combat these problems the Defense Microelectronics Agency has developed the Virtual Parts Supply Base (VPSB). The objective of the VPSB project is to improve the sustainability of Department of Defense weapon systems through and Integrated Data Environment. The improvement will be accomplished by augmenting the existing supply system with new technology to integrate existing resources into a virtual enterprise. The VPSB, as a virtual enterprise, exploits advances in telecommunications and computers. Specifically, it used the Internet to provide difficult to obtain Nation Stock Number (NSN) and non-NSN parts for all categories of DoD weapon systems rapidly and economically.
Development of a VPSB will be an iterative process. First, the causes need to be identified and the scope of the parts problem determined in concert with related studies, including the Diminishing Manufacturing Source Integrated Product Team (IPT) effort. The potential services required would be defined, and the appropriate method of providing the service will be determined consistent with the Department’s initiative to procure responsiveness vice inventory and infrastructure. Then the VPSB enterprise membership can be established with organizations that can provide the needed resources and capabilities to properly address the problem parts solution. These steps will be repeated as necessary to reach a broad spectrum of military needs. At each step, lessons learned will be incorporated and the process streamlined. Obstacles will be addressed and solutions sought. The metrics to determine the impact on the problem will be established and tracked.
GIDEP - P.O. Box 8000, Corona, CA 92878-8000