Improvements Needed in Army's Care of Supplies in Storage Program

The basic objectives of the Army's Care of Supplies in Storage (COSIS) program are to ensure that the true condition of material is continuously known and recorded, that accurate resource requirements are established, and that material is maintained in a readiness condition to meet supply demands. The COSIS program applies to both general supplies and ammunition. Although the 1975 Army regulation that established the COSIS program stipulated it as a separate and distinct program, it has not been handled that way in practice. Neither headquarters nor depots had overall management reports summarizing program accomplishments and problems. One problem the Army has had is relating program accomplishments to budget requests. The inability to show whether program objectives have been attained has caused reductions in program funding requests. COSIS functions of inspections, care and preservation, and equipment exercising are not being carried out completely or accurately. As a result, the true condition of material is not known, and it is not being maintained in a state of readiness. COSIS can be a viable program, but it needs to be better managed and executed. The Secretary of the Army should adopt measures to better manage the COSIS program and take corrective actions to make sure that various COSIS functions are properly accomplished.