Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC)
The Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) mission is to support the Armed Forces of the United States by supplying the military customer, anywhere, anytime, with quality goods and services at the lowest cost. As a National Inventory Control Point, DSCC manages more than 700,000 different supply items for over 10,000 customers world-wide. Today, it is the largest supplier of weapon systems parts to the United States Forces and our allies, in the world.
The Defense Supply Center, Columbus is a part of the Defense Logistics Agency. DSCC is a one square mile reservation that contains or services many different commands. Officially named and reorganized in January 1996, DSCC was the first Inventory Control Point (ICP) in the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to develop a weapons system approach toward materiel management. Weapons system management is now standard procedure in DLA, and DSCC is the Lead ICP for Maritime and Land-Based weapons systems under DLA's new materiel management approach.
DSCC is a $642 million a year Federal Procurement Activity. DSCC manages repair parts and supplies for everything from cars to tanks, weapons systems and ships, planes to missle systems. The Defense Supply Center, Columbus has been called to supply every military engagement since World War I.
Throughout the world, the Defense Supply Center, Columbus, is known to more than 24,000 military and civilian customers and 10,000 contractors, as the largest supplier of weapon systems spare parts and end items. One of three Inventory Control Points of the Defense Logistics Agency, DSCC manages almost 1.8 million different Construction (S9C) and Electronic (S9E) spare parts and accounts for more than $1.8 billion in annual sales.
Quite often great traditions are born from humble beginnings and the efforts of just a handful of dedicated workers. DSCC is no exception. Since 1918, people have looked through the fence surrounding the Defense Construction Supply Center, on the far east side of Columbus, and speculated as to what was going on inside. From year to year, war to war, and occupant to occupant, the mission, like the name of the Center, has changed. Since its construction started in 1918, with the erection of the first eight warehouses in 155 days, until 1962, the Center was an Army installation under a variety of missions in the supply, construction, and maintenance areas.
This Center, now called the Defense Supply Center Columbus, has served in every major military engagement since World War I. In 1917, the site was a combination of swamp land and farmland. America's production effort in World War I reached a climax in 1918, when transportation lines to ports of embarkation for men and materials were filled to capacity. This site was advantageous because it afforded immediate access to three important railroad lines. The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps made the first purchase of land, 281 acres, to construct a government military installation in April, 1918. Warehouse construction began in May of that year, and by August, six warehouses were receiving materiel for storage. Those warehouses are still in use today. The lull between WWI and WWII reduced Center operations to mostly reconditioning and sale of the stockpiles which had been needed earlier to ensure the nations defense.
During WWII the Center became the largest military supply installation in the world. In December 1942, an additional 295 acres were purchased. With more than 10,000 civilian employees, it played a large part in the overall war effort. Some of the warehouses were turned into secured barracks to house prisoners of war. Amidst the wars, the conflicts and humanitarian relief efforts, the installation has continuously worked to establish direct and fast moving supply lines to support troops in all parts of the world.
The installations operational activities were assigned to the U.S. Army Supply and Maintenance Command in July 1962. In 1962, the Center came under the control of DLA (the Army still owns the land). The following year, it became the Defense Construction Supply Center under what is presently known as the Defense Logistics Agency. In January 1996, DSCC received its fourteenth and current name, the Defense Supply Center Columbus. In January of 1996, the name was changed to Defense Supply Center, Columbus to more align it with the present mission. Officially named and reorganized in January 1996, DSCC was formed from the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission ordered merger of the former Defense Construction Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio, and the former Defense Electronics Supply Center in Dayton, Ohio. Decisions made during BRAC 95 further refined the transition into a total effort toward weapon systems management.
Columbus is a city that almost wasn't. When Ohio gained statehood in 1803, it had yet to designate a permanent capital. Political maneuvering almost landed the state government in such thriving communities as Zanesville or Chillicothe. However, in 1812, the residents of Franklinton, a county seat in the heart of Ohio along the Scioto River, tempted the state with 1,200 acres of land and a commitment to spend $50,000 to construct a capital. Within a matter of days, the General Assembly accepted the offer and Columbus was born on the opposite bank of the river from Franklinton. During the next 20 years, Columbus began to overshadow its maternal city. By 1824, the county seat had shifted to Columbus and as Franklinton residents relocated to the capital, Columbus engulfed its predecessor. The Civil War era saw the State Capital building completed. It also initiated a wave of unprecedented growth. The population soared five-fold and manufacturing soon competed with government as the city's main concern. The opening in 1873 of the Ohio Agriculture and Mechanical College, later renamed Ohio State University, spawned a new outlook for the city. Education was thrust to the forefront and the intellectual atmosphere helped contribute the development of the forerunner of the computer, the first xerography process, and numerous advancements in the medical treatment of the physically impaired.
BRAC 2005
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended that the Budget/Funding, Contracting, Cataloging, Requisition Processing, Customer Services, Item Management, Stock Control, Weapon System Secondary Item Support, Requirements Determination, Integrated Materiel Management Technical Support Inventory Control Point functions for Consumable Items, formerly located at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, be relocated to Defense Supply Center Columbus, OH and be reestablished as Defense Logistics Agency Inventory Control Point functions. As part of a larger realignment surrounding the closure of Ft. Monmouth, NJ, DoD's recommendation would establish a Land C4ISR Lifecycle Management Command (LCMC) to focus technical activity and accelerate transition. This recommendation would address the transformational objective of Network Centric Warfare. The solution of the significant challenges of realizing the potential of Network Centric Warfare for land combat forces would require integrated research in C4ISR technologies (engineered networks of sensors, communications, information processing), and individual and networked human behavior. The recommendation would increase efficiency through consolidation. Assuming no economic recovery, this recommendation could result in a maximum potential increase of 89 jobs (49 direct and 40 indirect jobs) over the 2006 – 2011 periods in the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Division (0.01 percent). Environmentally due to the increase in personnel there would be a minimal impact on waste production and water consumption at Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC), OH.
In another recommendation, DoD recommended to realign Detroit Arsenal, MI, by relocating the supply contracting function for tires to the Inventory Control Point at Defense Supply Center Columbus, OH, and disestablishing all other supply functions for tires. DoD also recommended to realign Hill AFB, UT, as follows: relocate the supply contracting function for tires to the Inventory Control Point at Defense Supply Center Columbus, OH; disestablish all other supply functions for tires; and disestablish the storage, and distribution functions for tires, packaged petroleum, oils, and lubricants, and compressed gases. DoD would realign Defense Supply Center Columbus, OH, by disestablishing storage and distribution functions for tires, packaged petroleum, oils, and lubricants, and compressed gases.
This recommendation would achieve economies and efficiencies that would enhance the effectiveness of logistics support to forces as they transition to more joint and expeditionary operations. This recommendation would disestablish the wholesale supply, storage, and distribution functions for all tires; packaged petroleum, oils and lubricants; and compressed gases used by the Department of Defense, retaining only the supply contracting function for each commodity. The Department would privatize these functions and would rely on private industry for the performance of supply, storage, and distribution of these commodities. By doing so, the Department could divest itself of inventories and eliminate infrastructure and personnel associated with these functions. This recommendation would result in more responsive supply support to user organizations and would thus add to capabilities of the future force. The recommendation would provide improved support during mobilization and deployment, and the sustainment of forces when deployed worldwide. Privatization would enable the Department to take advantage of the latest technologies, expertise, and business practices, which translates to improved support to customers at less cost. It centralizes management of tires; packaged petroleum, oils, and lubricants; and compressed gases and eliminates unnecessary duplication of functions within the Department.
