Supply Support Activity Afloat (SSAA)

As of 2005 Army was pursuing a Supply Support Activity Afloat (SSAA), a sea-based platform that would be used to sustain troops on the ground. The SSAA would provide immediate supplies for early entry forces. There would be one ship per Army Regional Flotilla, providing support for an Army 1x1 BCT. The ship would be breakbulk, not container, and have the potential to operate within the Sea Base. The Standard Army Retail Supply System (SARSS) is a Combat Service Support peacetime and wartime logistics system. SARSS improves supply management and stock control at the Army retail level. SARSS-1 processes time-sensitive activities of receiving, storing, and issuing at the Direct Support Unit (DSU), and Supply Support Activities (SSA) levels.

Selective stockage is one of the basic elements of the Army Retail Stock Control System. Selective stockage is based on demand to keep the inventory closely matched to customers' needs. The Army's Selective Stockage Plan balances customer unit or SSA mission requirements with SSA ability. This plan is best expressed by the principle "select and stock fast moving items forward and slower moving items in the rear." Repair parts are either demand-supported, non-demand-supported, or initial provisioning to support newly fielded equipment.

The Authorized Stockage List (ASL) shows items that are proven, by experience, to be sufficiently active at an SSA to warrant stockage. It also contains other items with a projected need. The ASL is the SSA's authority to stock the item. Parts to meet the requirement for D to D+30 deploying DSUs are prepositioned in the theater and parts to meet requirements for D+31 to D+60 deploying DSUs will be stored in CONUS depot assets for shipment to the theater by push package subsequent to mobilization. Where sufficient information is available from current operation plans (OPLANs) regarding support relationships, the ASL will be computed for the DSU and a copy provided to the DSU for planning purposes.

Catalog data is the language of supply. Each item of supply is identified by a standard number. This number will be used in all supply functions. Four item identification numbers represent supply items. a.. The National stock number (NSN) is a two-part, 13- position number given to each item of supply that is listed in the Federal Catalog System (FCS). Each NSN is unique and represents only one item of supply. The NSN is the main item identification number; it must be used when it is known. The Federal part number (FPN) is a two-part, six-or-more-position code used when the NSN isn't known. The Management control number (MCN) is a two-part, 13- position number assigned to a local item of supply to allow automated accounting and document processing. An MCN normally will not be assigned to an item of supply if an NSN or FPN is assigned to the item. The DOD Ammunition Code [DODAC] is a two-part, eight-position code given to a family of items in FSG 13 (Ammunition and Explosives) and FSG 14 (Guided Missiles).

A Supply Support Activity (SSA), formerly known as a Direct Support Unit (DSU) warehouse or Class IX warehouse, is the retail level warehouse where customer units receive their repair parts. To put it in simple terms, the SSA is like the Auto Zone or Pep Boys of the Army. It is the place where other units come to get their repair parts to fix their vehicles and equipment. Various sections take care of each step in the process. They are Stock Control, Receiving, Storage, Shipping and Turn in. To keep track of all the operations they use some of the latest technology to process and track orders, parts, and their status, just like many of the big retail stores like Wal-Mart, Target or FedEx the Army is able to track all the requests at every stage of the process, from the moment it is requested, to finding the source where the part is coming from, to the moment it is shipped, until it is received by the unit who ordered it.