Photo By Staff Sgt. Amasis Obsidian | Soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Division draw gear from a Central Issue Facility...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – The Army is undergoing a major transformation in how it issues and manages organizational clothing and individual equipment.
This change aims to enhance the Soldier's experience at the Central Issue Facility and ensure each Soldier has the right equipment in the right quantity to do their job.
One of the key initiatives of this transformation is the conversion of CIFs to storefronts, which will help the Army right-size its OCIE inventory.
“We are reducing stock in the CIF to become more efficient in delivering and upgrading uniform items for our Soldiers,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jimmy Sellers, Army Materiel Command senior enlisted leader.
To address this issue, the Army is implementing a new online direct ordering, or ODO, process that will allow Soldiers and units to order equipment directly, reducing the need for physical storage at a CIF and streamlining the issuance process.
The CIF storefront concept is designed to support this new process, keeping a minimal but optimized inventory of items to support immediate and emergency direct exchange, as well as deployment support and new equipment fielding. The storefronts will also provide ballistic plates for high-risk ranges and deployments, and support units with equipment turn-in and recovery.
CIFs will see their inventory reduce from around 100,000 items on average to about 20,000 items as a result. A majority of equipment stockage will move to regional hubs, where the items ordered through ODO will be shipped.
“By reducing on-hand stock by 40-60% and removing legacy and end-of-life items, the Army will be able to optimize equipment management and better support modernized equipment readiness,” Sellers said.
That means that Soldiers will have the equipment that comes standard with their military occupational specialty widely available at their local CIF.
“Gone are the days of keeping inventory of equipment that does not align with your climate or the specialties of units stationed at your installation, like cold weather gear at Fort Johnson,” said Sellers.
The changes are expected to be complete by Sept. 30, for continental U.S.-based Army installations and Sept. 30, 2026, for installations outside of continental U.S.
Soldiers should also be on the lookout for continued efforts from AMC aimed at helping right-size their and their unit’s hand receipts. Rapid Removal of Excess OCIE, or R2O, is currently being piloted with the goal of better understanding how to identify excess, obsolete or legacy equipment Soldiers have, and enabling them to easily turn in this equipment to their CIF.
Rapid Removal of Excess, or R2E, continues as a global program available to the Total Army to turn in excess equipment from their formations. Focused surge windows are scheduled through the next two years to assist units impacted by changes to Army force structure in clearing their property books from excess, broken or legacy equipment.
“Through efforts like CIF storefront modernization and R2O, AMC is taking a significant step toward improving equipment management and delivering ready combat formations,” said Sellers.
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.14.2025 11:23 |
| Story ID: | 490826 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Right-sizing for readiness: CIFs transition from warehouses to storefronts, by Lindsay Grant, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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