Diminishing Manufacturing Sources & Material Shortages, also known for short as “DMSMS”, is a major issue for the Department of Defense.  According to the SD-22 DoD DMSMS Guidebook, “Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) issue is the loss, or impending loss, of manufacturers or suppliers of items, or raw materials, or software. The Department of Defense (DoD) loses a manufacturer or supplier when that manufacturer or supplier discontinues production of needed components or raw materials, or the supply of raw material is no longer available. This can be caused by many factors—such as low-volume market demand, new or evolving science or technology, detection limits, toxicity values, and regulations related to chemicals and materials—that significantly affect the DoD supply chain and industrial base. This situation may cause shortages that endanger an ongoing production capability and/or the life-cycle support of a weapon system or any training, support, or test equipment already in the field. Ultimately, DMSMS issues affect materiel readiness and operational availability, which, in turn, affect both combat operations and safety.”

In conjunction with our colleagues at the Defense Standardization Program Office (DSPO), DAU offers or hosts a series of resources to assist the defense acquisition workforce proactively combat the scourge of DMSMS, including:

·         the DoD DMSMS Knowledge Sharing Portal (DKSP) on our DAU Logistics Community of Practice (LOG CoP)

·         both PDF and hyperlinked/web-enabled versions of the SD-22 DoD DMSMS Guidebook

·         a comprehensive DMSMS overview ACQuipedia article

·         providing sortable links to numerous DMSMS-related tools in our Product Support Analytical Tools Database

·         five web-based continuous learning modules on various DMSMS-related topics:

·         CLL 201 DMSMS Fundamentals

·         CLL 202 DMSMS Executive Course

·         CLL 203 DMSMS Essentials

·         CLL 204 DMSMS Case Studies

·         CLL 205 DMSMS for Technical Professionals 

Why is DMSMS mitigation so important? In a nutshell, DMSMS not only crosses functional and Service domains, but it can be expensive and degrade readiness. As such, it is essential that we each understand what it is, the range of potential options that are available, and how these issues can proactively and effectively be resolved.