Inspector General Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) released the management advisory, “The DoD Should Analyze the Use of Barcode Scanners for Conducting Inventories of Defense Articles Requiring Enhanced End-Use Monitoring.” This management advisory is part of an ongoing series of reviews evaluating the DoD’s efforts to monitor and account for defense articles subject to enhanced end-use monitoring (EEUM) provided to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“This management advisory highlights the potential for increased use of handheld barcode scanners to conduct inventories of EEUM-designated articles,” said IG Storch. “The advisory also addresses the challenges that often impede the effectiveness of the technology’s intended use.”
Scans that are inaccurate for various reasons, the inability to bring barcode scanners into some secure storage sites, and other challenges could limit the potential benefits of expanding the use of barcode scanners in the future. Despite this, the Office of Defense Cooperation–Ukraine (ODC-Ukraine) and Security Cooperation Organization informed the DoD OIG that the use of handheld barcode scanners generally provides the DoD with opportunities to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and accuracy of designated defense article inventories.
The DoD OIG recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency Director review the challenges in using barcode scanners for EEUM inventories. To address those challenges, the DoD OIG also recommended a plan of action with milestones be developed and implemented. These actions should be taken before deciding whether to use barcode scanners to conduct EEUM inventories on a broader scale. The DoD OIG will continue to monitor the actions stakeholders take to meet the intent of the recommendation and, thereby, increase the usefulness of this technology in conducting EEUM in Ukraine and beyond.