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All Things Supply

BinRat55

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I would be happy to answer any questions about supply in this thread.

Questions about policies, procedures, "How do I..." questions. I will answer questions about my trade for anyone interested. What I can't do is fix your clothing docs, get you a gucci piece of kit issued (but I CAN tell you how to find out if you're entitled to it...). I might be able to tell you WHY you were given an answer that you didn't like (in laymans terms). I can't fix individual issues, but I might be able to point you in the right direction.

Bottom line - ask me anything about Supply. If I can answer it, I will.

Servitium Nulli Secundus - Service Second to None
 
If fear you've opened up a can worms here =D

Partly serious, partly joking but

1. Is it true that EVERYTHING in sensible sizes for the Air Force is unavailable. Med and Lrg T-Shirts, two piece flight suits in 34/36 waists, etc.
2. Why am I always told the contract ran out and no one has bothered to renew it
3. Does any of this stuff ever get quality controlled? If my pants/shirts from any store had as many strings and errors as these did the store would be out of business. Unless flight suit pockets opening different directions is of course acceptable.
 
Your # 3 first:

Personal Allotment Kit Exchanges Due to Faulty Manufacture
2.79. Item exchanges due to faulty manufacture are authorized under the following conditions:
a. If an item of clothing, which was issued to an individual, is obviously unsatisfactory when put into use because of faulty manufacture or materiel, it may be exchanged in kind for a serviceable item. The fact that an item has been worn shall not preclude such an exchange unless obvious abuse of the item has caused the failure.
b. If a replacement item is not available for immediate issue, the unsatisfactory item shall not be accepted until the replacement has been requisitioned and received.
c. Items exchanged under the foregoing circumstances shall be brought on charge and disposed of in the normal manner.
d. In repeated cases of failure, a CF 777, Unsatisfactory Condition Report (UCR), shall be prepared. Upon completion, the CF 777 shall be forwarded through base and command channels to NDHQ to the Office of Primary Interest (OPI) for action as necessary.
e. It is realized that the form CF 777 is not ideally suitable to clothing; however, additional helpful information can be submitted on a separate enclosure attached to the CF 777.
f. Individuals shall ensure that CF 777 raised actually detail unsatisfactory conditions. UCR raised on clothing items shall be accompanied with a sample of the item indicating the unsatisfactory condition and a copy of the supporting CIV cross-referred to the UCR number.

A-LM-007-100/AG-001
 
BobSlob said:
If fear you've opened up a can worms here =D

Partly serious, partly joking but

1. Is it true that EVERYTHING in sensible sizes for the Air Force is unavailable. Med and Lrg T-Shirts, two piece flight suits in 34/36 waists, etc.
2. Why am I always told the contract ran out and no one has bothered to renew it

1. No, it's not true. SOME sizes are in a shortage situation, and as you can imagine - sensible sizes as you put it are common sizes. Ergo, shortage possibility goes up.
Also, there just may BE a wait time. Your Clothing Stores could be awaiting a shipment that is stuck somewere else... a host of possibilities. But alas, not the control of your Clot Warehouse. I can assure you, they are not sitting around a pallet of uniforms, giggling and giving everyone the finger...
 
BobSlob said:
2. Why am I always told the contract ran out and no one has bothered to renew it

2. I am not up on Air Force Clothing, however I can refer you to the Air Force site (http://airforce.mil.ca/Main/subjects/subjects_e.htm) and hit the Clothing and Equipment - Millennium Standard (CEMS)  - but wait out on that for the time being. We are upgrading links and this one seems to be broken at the moment. If I am correct, you will see all your answers about Air Force clothing - new and legacy.
 
BobSlob said:
If fear you've opened up a can worms here =D

Partly serious, partly joking but

1. Is it true that EVERYTHING in sensible sizes for the Air Force is unavailable. Med and Lrg T-Shirts, two piece flight suits in 34/36 waists, etc.
2. Why am I always told the contract ran out and no one has bothered to renew it
3. Does any of this stuff ever get quality controlled? If my pants/shirts from any store had as many strings and errors as these did the store would be out of business. Unless flight suit pockets opening different directions is of course acceptable.

Duh, didn't anyone tell you the military only had two sizes, too large and too small?  :nod:

And as for #3....you had that too?  I thought only I was lucky enough to get that (and yes, immediately showed it to the Sup Tech and got another one instead, with the zippers the right way.)
 
Thank you for starting this thread!  I'm new (out of BMQ since April - taking courses at CFB Borden) and    am trying to find out how to determine what I am entitled to in terms of kit.  I respect that there is plenty of gear that can wait until I'm further along in my career, such as at my first posting, but I also know there exists quite a few pieces that would make my current situation more comfortable. 

An example would be :

-Gerber
-Canteen drinking straw (I have a camelback but there are times I could make use of this simple piece of kit - if it still exists in the system)
-'Combat Scarf' I've never seen one but someone says I'm supposed to have one...

In short : I know lots of kit is out there, and I'm curious what bits I should/could be asking for - and could potential receive if inventory / approval warrants it. 

Thanks again for your time.  Regards
 
So do they still use those great supply chain phrases like:

Chair, straight, not

or my favorite: Ash receiver, tobacco,smoked glass  ;D
 
Colin P said:
So do they still use those great supply chain phrases like:

Chair, straight, not

or my favorite: Ash receiver, tobacco,smoked glass  ;D

Lol - I actually HAD an "Ash receiver, smoked glass" on my desk many many years ago. And several "Pen, writing, blue for the use of"s...
 
BorisK said:
Thank you for starting this thread!  I'm new (out of BMQ since April - taking courses at CFB Borden) and    am trying to find out how to determine what I am entitled to in terms of kit.  I respect that there is plenty of gear that can wait until I'm further along in my career, such as at my first posting, but I also know there exists quite a few pieces that would make my current situation more comfortable. 

An example would be :

-Gerber
-Canteen drinking straw (I have a camelback but there are times I could make use of this simple piece of kit - if it still exists in the system)
-'Combat Scarf' I've never seen one but someone says I'm supposed to have one...

In short : I know lots of kit is out there, and I'm curious what bits I should/could be asking for - and could potential receive if inventory / approval warrants it. 

Thanks again for your time.  Regards

BorisK - see, herein lies one of the most common issues that eventually become sore points for supply techs and make other trades hate us. Let's try it this way:

Scales of Issue - Everyone joining the military have an "entitlement" to certain kit. Distinct Environmental Uniforms (DEU) have their own entitlement, or scale of issue. Upon enrolment one becomes entitled to that particular scale (Land / Air / Sea). After one year you are allowed to keep your initial issue and you then become entitled to points on the Logistic Unicorp site to use as replacement of this kit when needed.

There are hundreds of scales and one soldier can actually become entitled to several of these scales at one time (Cbt Engineers / SAR Techs / Medics just to name a few). Or, just one - your field kit (which, by the way, does entitle you to a scarf - but alas, they are not all they are cracked up to be). Most soldiers who are not trade qualified will not be entitled to anything save for their initial issue and your D01-301 (gives you your combats and boots and such). The so-called "gucci" kit will come later. Depending on your trade and/or tasking (attach posting over seas) you become entitled to more things. The caveat is that upon disengagement of said tasking, posting you become "un-entitled" and we want it back! There is a list of some kit that we allow you to hold on to, such as next-to-skin items.

That is scales and entitlements in a nutshell. Let's not confuse entitlements with your RSM's kitlist. RSMs want their troops to have the best money can buy and often times scales of issue are not taken into consideration when drafted. Nor is subject availability. Case in point, when we went from the green glad garbage bag rain jacket to the really cool cadpat gor-tex. It was originally ONLY an Air Force entitlement. Joe Infantry doesn't  know this, sees it on a soldier (airman) and pees his pants in anticipation of getting this in the next 6 minutes. We explain this to 58 combat arms soldiers at the front counter, and within 2 hours we have 6 RSMs in the WO's office asking why we are such a$$holes. Ergo, hatred. And we did nothing. Back to my original statement - kitlists. Just because you have a kitlist doesn't make you entitled to an item. It's getting better - now, many unit RSMs and COs are sitting down with the Log O / RQMS and asking the right questions.

So, here is my advice to you and anyone else in this boat - If you are not QL3 qualified, I wouldn't even bother unless you are a PAT and special permissions made by the CoC are in place. When you get to your first posting, you will be told to get A,B C... No, it doesn't hurt to ask the supply tech, but accept the answer he or she gives you. If you are entitled and they have stocked-out, ask for a chit. This you can show to your CoC keeping you out of hot water with your Sgt.

We have no choice to abide by the rules and constraints put in place by the system. I assure you, we do not have a personal vendetta towards anyone.

Gerber - at your first posting.
Scarf - probably now if they have it.
Canteen drinking straw? If you are referring to a CamelBak attachment, you are not entitled to a CamelBak and won't be unless you go overseas. If you are referring to the gas mask attachment, just bring your gas mask in and request an exchange with the proper attachment.

Hopefully I didn't confuse you too much!
 
Pieman said:
I always loved it when they got annoyed when I asked them to get something or traded something in that was worn out...isn't that the job in a nutshell? 

Honestly, you just might have encountered someone just having a bad day...or a bad life overall. It happens.

I just had a read and found this post (it's an older one from about a year ago, but the relevance is still there) ... for those that may have gotten the wrong impression, no it's NOT the "job in a nutshell" I think if I were to say that to a Signalman - fixing my phone is your job in a nutshell... a swift kick in the cahones would be well earned.

I can assure you that much like most support trades, Supply is quite under appreciated and well disliked. Our jobs are as difficult as any other, with the added bonus of being the dreaded middle-man - bearer of bad news - red headed stepchild of the Army...

I am here to convey more level headed answers to inquiring minds before someone goes off half cocked on a poor, young Supply Technician...

Hoo boy!
 
Hey man first time posting here,

I've recently been merit listed and have Supply Tech as my number one option for trades. I was just wondering what I have to expect from the job other than what's already posted online, how much time realistically I'll be spent both at home and on deployment (I obviously understand that there's no real quantifiable way of knowing for sure, but an idea would be nice) and which branch of the forces do most Supply Techs go into first.
 
Brandon_sage92,

First and formost, welcome to Army.ca. As well, congratulations on you decision to become a Logistician. A word though - don't begin a post with "Hey man..." - many of us cringe. It's all about respect. Address an initial post directly to the user name of the person you want to speak to, as I did here.

On to my passion - Supply! You are correct, time here and there is not really a solid fact in any case. And cases vary wildly. Land, Air or Sea postings bring different challenges, timelines and tasks. As a support trade, we are needed pretty much everywhere. Air postings are generally shorter than Army postings (I say generally...) Most deployments will not come for you until later in your career, but they will come. Remember - we are needed everywhere. At the North Pole, all across Canada, Germany & Italy, Australia. Africa, Chili and in the middle of the South Pacific. Duration? A tasking could be less than a month, to a full tour from 8 to 12 months depending.

Field time is dependant on your unit or if you have been asked to volunteer for a tasking to augment a unit. A week to a month is possible. The more knowledgeable a Supply Tech you are, the more experience you can gain. Stay fit and healthy, volunteer for everything and many things open up to you.

You will learn many different aspects of Supply at first, from computer warehousing management tools to how to keep safe to how to keep clean. Customer service is a biggie. If you don't have the chops to take someone on their worst day, then become a truck driver. (Sorry MSE Ops!!) You will also learn leadership. As easy as you might think Call of Duty has led you to believe that you can lead a platoon into a section attack, you can't. Completely different that leading a platoon of supply techs into an organized stocktaking or SNAC (Serial Number Accounting Control)...

I have had the least amount of experience with the Navy (much Army and Air experience) but I can tell you this - the Navy Support Trades get mad respect from me. Not only do they have to be experts at my trade, they also have to be experts at everything ship related. They are firefighters, navigators, communicators, and even therapists! Not many places to go when you're in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! They learn every single part of the ship and know it blindfolded - for real - blindfolded!

I hope I never rambled too much and was able to provide you with a bit of insight. Remember though - everyone's experiences are different. I can tell you my career story if you wish, but I don't want to put anyone to sleep. Well, except for the parts where I was fortunate to work with Vern... exciting don't quite cover it...
 
I've got a question, when I was issued the new pants (the ones with the knee pads). I was only issued one knee pad. A months later I asked if I could get a second knee pad and was told that they didn't exist in the system as a stand alone item, but that they were considering ordering some as replacements as they do not last for ever. It has been a year since I last inquired. Do stand alone kneed pads exist?

Thanks,
 
runormal said:
Do stand alone kneed pads exist?

If one is standing, alone or accompanied, why would one require knee pads in the first place?

Kneel alone knee pads, perhaps...

The English language has its peculiarities.
 
runormal said:
I've got a question, when I was issued the new pants (the ones with the knee pads). I was only issued one knee pad. A months later I asked if I could get a second knee pad and was told that they didn't exist in the system as a stand alone item, but that they were considering ordering some as replacements as they do not last for ever. It has been a year since I last inquired. Do stand alone kneed pads exist?

Thanks,

These were in the system, I've still seen some units issue them.

hatch-kp250-centurion-knee-pads-33-p.jpg
 
Loachman said:
If one is standing, alone or accompanied, why would one require knee pads in the first place?

Because you never know when an opportunity for career advancement may occur?
 
Blackadder1916 said:
Because you never know when an opportunity for career advancement may occur?

But that would be neither standing nor alone.
 
PuckChaser said:
These were in the system, I've still seen some units issue them.

hatch-kp250-centurion-knee-pads-33-p.jpg

We have 3-4 triwalls of them in our RQ shoppe.  Trying to send them to MSA, another unit or failing that R&D for GCSurplus.
 
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