Pakistani officials visited DLA Information Operations Logistics Information Services in Battle Creek, Michigan, Feb. 23-24 to learn about the U.S. National Codification Bureau, which DLA administers, and to develop ideas for Pakistan to use in forming its own NCB.
DLA, as part of its support to NATO by increasing the efficiency of global logistics, established the U.S. NCB and provides representatives for four codification/leadership groups on the Allied Committee 135. AC/135, which facilitates global logistics operations among partner nations, is composed of 62 countries that work together to maintain the NATO Codification System.
The NCS is the primary means nations use to codify items of supply used in support of interoperable global logistics operations by NATO and its allied countries, as well as multinational armed forces, governments and industry. Each participating nation has a National Codification Bureau; the NCB of the nation that produces or designs an item codifies and assigns representative National Stock Numbers, regardless of the end users. The NCBs are the central operating points for the NCS and the information, services and products they provide are used in every facet of logistics operations.
The delegation from Pakistan came to learn what it takes to establish and manage national stock numbers and the NCS used by participating AC/135 nations.
“Pakistan has requested to become involved in AC/135 efforts and desires the help of the United States National Codification Bureau in Battle Creek to help achieve this,” said Chris Nozicka, chief of U.S. National Codification Bureau Logistics Information Services. “They want to start advancing their capabilities within the NATO Codification System. First they want to join the AC/135 committee and ultimately establish their own NCB.”
Topics discussed at the meeting concerned reciprocal agreements, foreign military sales support, logistics tools required and the support system necessary to maintain a Pakistan NCB.
“The enthusiasm from the Pakistan government in learning about the AC/135 was infectious,” said Elaine Chapman, NATO Group of National Directors on Codification Allied Committee 135 Budget and Strategic Planning Subcommittee chairman, and U.S. National Codification Bureau Director. “They were eager to learn, had great questions and left with an understanding there is a lot of work to be done. We are eager to partner with them.”
The U.S NCB members discussed cataloging systems used to manage logistics information, as well as procedures, data exchange, procurement, staffing and training opportunities and gave a tour of the DLA Customer Interaction Center. The U.S. and Pakistani officials discussed a way forward, including future meetings in 2016.