Kadena becomes largest Air Force base to use Asset Marking and Tracking

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Maeson L. Elleman
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Pacific Air Forces has begun using the ground-breaking asset marking and tracking system, also known as the item unique identification system, starting with Kadena and Yokota Air Base in mainland Japan.

Once fully integrated and operational, the system is designed to not only give Air Force officials total asset visibility for any piece of equipment on any base in the world, but provide every scrap of information on the asset, including its lifecycle and when it will most likely need maintenance.

"It'll help grant visibility on scheduled maintenance for equipment," said Edmund Baye, a certified user on the system. "The Air Force is looking for total asset visibility so they can see what assets need maintenance and what needs to be replaced and when they need to expedite that."

According to Master Sgt. Jennifer Martz, 18th Logistic Readiness Squadron equipment accountability office superintendent, with this information, Airmen can save the Air Force money and themselves time, all the while improving readiness for forces across the globe.

"With this system we'll have 100 percent accountability for all of our assets," Sergeant Martz said. "With IUID we'll know exactly what we have, its condition, where it is, and be able to make better decisions when it comes to deployment requirements."

According to Tech. Sgt. Robert Campbell, Equipment Accountability Element noncommissioned officer in charge, when the system is online and operational, Airmen at all levels, especially in supply, will see a significant improvement in their work load.

"When it comes online, it will make accountability much easier and create a smaller chance for human error," Sergeant Campbell said. "This will make jobs a lot easier for inventory because you can just scan it, rather than going through a paperwork process."

With its nearly 28,000 assets (approximately three times the size of Yokota), Kadena claims the title of largest base in all the Air Force so far to host the program. In order to get a project of that size accomplished in a timely manner and still allow Airmen to perform their normal duties, the Air Force has contracted the job out, cutting the time significantly.

A2B, the company contracted to develop the system, and Kadena's 18th LRS have been working hundreds of hours to mark every major item on the base since the beginning of November 2010.

Right now, marking is bearing down to its final stages, but according to Sergeant Campbell, the system won't be online until March 2012.