Secondary Item Policy and Retail Level Management

Board questions from this publication

• What are the two primary supply publications a unit works from?

  AR 710-2, Supply Policy Below the National Level, is the policy. DA PAM 710-2-1, Using Unit Supply System, Manual Procedures, carries the procedures that implement it. Property accountability and financial liability are in AR 735-5.

  AR 710-2 and DA PAM 710-2-1

• What is the difference between expendable, durable, and nonexpendable property?

  Expendable property is consumed in use and is not accounted for after it is issued, such as cleaning supplies and batteries. Durable property is not consumed in use and does not go on the property book, but it does require hand receipt control, such as hand tools. Nonexpendable property retains its identity, requires formal property book accountability, and is hand receipted down to the user, such as weapons, vehicles, and radios.

  AR 710-2 and AR 735-5

• What determines whether an item is expendable, durable, or nonexpendable?

  The accounting requirements code assigned to the national stock number in the Army master data. Code X is expendable, code D is durable, and code N is nonexpendable. You look it up rather than judging by price or appearance.

  AR 710-2

• Which inventories does AR 710-2 require of a unit?

  A joint inventory when the primary hand receipt holder changes, which is a one hundred percent inventory conducted by the incoming and outgoing holders together. A cyclic or annual inventory of property book items. A recurring inventory of sensitive items. Weapons and ammunition are inventoried under AR 190-11, which is more demanding, and commanders routinely direct more frequent counts than the minimum.

  AR 710-2 and AR 190-11

• What is a sensitive item, and why is it inventoried differently?

  A sensitive item is property that requires a high degree of protection and control because of its potential for harm or its attractiveness for theft. Weapons, ammunition, explosives, night vision devices, communications security equipment, and controlled drugs are typical examples. They are counted by serial number on a recurring basis, and a missing sensitive item is reported immediately rather than at the next inventory.

  AR 710-2 and AR 190-11

• What do you do the moment you discover a sensitive item is missing?

  Stop, secure the area, and report it immediately through the chain of command. Do not wait to search on your own or resolve it quietly. Recount and search under supervision, notify the commander, and follow the unit's serious incident reporting procedures. Adjustment of the property record follows AR 735-5 once the loss is confirmed.

  AR 710-2, AR 190-11, and AR 735-5

• What is the Command Supply Discipline Program?

  The Command Supply Discipline Program, or CSDP, is the commander's program for enforcing supply discipline. It is not a new set of rules. It is a compilation of existing regulatory requirements pulled together into checklists that commanders and staff use to evaluate supply operations at every level, identify shortfalls, and fix them. AR 710-2 establishes it.

  AR 710-2, Supply Policy Below the National Level

• Who is responsible for the Command Supply Discipline Program in a company?

  The commander. The supply sergeant runs the day to day supply operation and maintains the records, but the CSDP is a command program and the commander owns it. First line leaders enforce it by conducting the inventories and sub-hand receipt checks they are required to conduct.

  AR 710-2