Making it Possible for US Navy: NAVSUP

Posted by johnssmith00 on September 13th, 2013

Maintaining supplies and services to US naval forces globally is no mean task. One organization that has taken up the cudgels and providing professional logistics and supplies of services and materials is NAVSUP, the Navy Supply System Command. The services of this organization are not limited to materials and logistics as there are other crucial functions such as maintaining information systems, weapon systems on ships, submarines, and naval aircrafts, and even looking after security assistance to the naval officers and their families.

NAVSUP is in itself a large organization having been made up of a dedicated and motivated workforce of nearly 25000 employees that have been drawn from both civilian as well as naval backgrounds. The command has its headquarters in Mechanicsburg, PA which is believed to be the head of most contracting activities that go on under the department of Defense. In fact, navy contracts are issued by the organization on a regular basis and one can find multimillion dollar navy contracts being won by US based companies every now and then.

With navy contracts being awarded in diverse areas such as postal supplies, food services, weapon systems, information systems, uniforms for the sailors, transportation of household items, and so on, it is not surprising to see the total amount of such navy contracts going up to nearly $4 billion every year. The organization earns a handsome amount from these navy contracts but spends all of it on the welfare and entertainment of the sailors and their families across the globe. Many wonder how dopes NAVSUP perform its functions so efficiently and in such a professional manner. The answer to this question lies in the fact that NAVSUP has a free hand when it comes to setting its own policies and procedures and does not seek or require approval from higher authorities.

The success of all the operations undertaken by the organization is because of their streamlining and also because of the realization that the real objective of the organization is to ensure timely supplies to the fleet no matter where it is across the globe. If one takes a close look at the roles and functions performed by the organization or the command, it becomes clear that these functions can be divided into three broad categories that are as follows.

•             Support to weapons systems

•             Support to logistics

•             Support to sailors and their families

There are sub categories under each of these categories and the final picture that emerges is one of a behemoth that performs a diverse range of functions in the most efficient and professional manner. For example, logistics itself is a huge field under which NAVSUP takes up many different operations such as supply chain of ammunition, transportation and material management, fuels, research and development, and all the contracting services.

With the kind of role played by NAVSUP and the responsibilities it takes up on behalf of the US Navy, it is no surprise that many young men and women line up to enroll in the organization as they feel they get a chance to serve the navy indirectly.

NAVSUP is a subsidiary which helps out the navy in its various activities by way of navy contracts.