responsible for administration of the Federal Catalog System, DOD Section. The DLA
is also responsible for providing common supply and service support to the military
departments.
b. The DPSC and other DLA defense supply centers manage certain categories
of supplies. The DPSC is the commodity manager for subsistence, clothing and
textiles, and medical materiel. The Directorate of Medical Materiel, DPSC, is
responsible for the procurement of common type medical materiel for the DOD, and is
responsible for the preparation, publication, distribution, and maintenance of the
medical materiel section of the catalog.
2-8.
NAME, DESCRIPTION, AND STOCK NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM OF SUPPLY
These objectives have been implemented in the Federal Supply Catalog
in the form of a Federal name, Federal description, and national stock number (NSN) for
each item of supply.
a. The Federal name answers the Question, "what is it, or what is it for?"
Regardless of the activities designed for an item, anyone who will use the item will be
able to refer to a standard name for the item.
b. The Federal description simply supplements the Federal name by depicting in
words the essential characteristics of the item.
c. Just as your social security number (SSN) identifies you from all other
individuals in the military personnel area, national stock numbers identify specific line
items of supply. Breaking down the NSN into its component parts should illustrate the
classification system used by the DOD.
2-9.
BREAKDOWN OF NATIONAL STOCK NUMBER
The NSN is a unique 13-digit number that specifically identifies an item. The
national stock number, you might say, is "where we put a handle on a specific item of
supply," The NSN is divided into two parts (figure 2-1). The first part, consisting of the
first four digits, is the Federal supply classification (FSC) code. The second part,
consisting of the remaining nine digits, is the national item identification number (NIIN),
which uniquely identifies the item. The NATO country code number appears in national
stock numbers as either 00 or 01 for US items. Other NATO countries have a
designated number, that is, Federal Republic of West Germany as number 12.
MD0029
2-4