Readiness Management Application, Defense Logistics Agency

"It was a tremendous amount of materiel," says McManus, the deputy director of the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia's Medical Directorate. "It was more than we needed even under worst-case scenarios."

Moreover, units in the field did not want what had been sent, because it was either outdated or inappropriate for desert operations. So, the DSCP created a system that manages its inventory and ensures the goods it contracts to buy are exactly what the military needs. The Readiness Management Application, now operational, helps distill data from numerous contractors that supply the military.

RMA matches that data with the military's needs on an almost real-time basis, shipping only what's required in the field. The application only manages pharmaceuticals, but the center plans to add medical and surgical products. DSCP estimates that the application saves Defense $90 million each year.