Need for a DOD Shelf-Life Program Administrator

Since 1974 the Defense Logistic Agency (DLA) has been assigned formal responsibility for administering the Department of Defense (DOD) shelf-life program. Shelf-life items are items of supply possessing deteriorative or unstable characteristics. A review of four inventory control points (ICP's) was made to determine whether shelf-life management procedures and practices at the wholesale manager level are adequate to ensure that (1) new items entering the supply system are subjected to appropriate evaluation prior to designation for shelf-life management, (2) management records accurately reflect shelf-life identification data, and (3) items already in the supply system are subjected to subsequent reevaluation of shelf life, based on storage experience and other factors.