The Ministry of Defence needs to update their IT management systems to beef up the supply chain for military operations, reports logisticsmanager.com.
A report from the National Audit Office, 'The use of information to manage the logistics supply chain', found that the IT supply systems currently used were not resourceful enough.
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said to bloomberg.com: "The Department urgently needs better supply chain information systems with the appropriate skills and processes to match. It currently keeps the armed forces supplied by either stockpiling more than necessary, sending too many routine items by air, or both. This ties-up precious resources that could be better used to support troops."
Better information would allow more goods to be carried by surface transport than by air, according to the report. Highest priority items send by air "should arrive in theatre within five days." However, in 2010, this was only achieved in a third of instances.
Richard Bacon, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, said: "The MoD isn't collecting enough of the information it needs to manage the supply chain properly, and some of the MoD's management systems pre-date the fall of the Berlin Wall and are no longer supported by the manufacturers.
"If these systems fail, the consequences at the front line could be severe," he added.
