The emerging factors would compel a change first in technology. Forces will be equipped with increasingly high technology weapon systems and communication equipment; inventory management on traditional lines will no longer suffice. Wars are not fought in conventional manner any more. Ordnance support will be required in various forms and sizes which cannot be designed in advance and kept exclusively for the purpose. Therefore, loose organisations have to be created from which smaller organisations can be drawn or the basic organisation can itself be modified with ease.

In the last two decades, important advances have been made in all fields of management including newer systems of forecasting, stores handling, data processing, personnel administration and distribution of stores. The corps has by and large not drawn benefits from these techniques.

Despite the best efforts in the last twenty years since the shortage began to hit the corps, it has not been able to improve the availability of stores. While one item is tackled, another becomes problematic. The system of procurement needs an immediate correction.

There should be an integration of materials management functions of the three services at the Ministry of Defence. Directorate General Quality Assurance, Ordnance Factory Board and Department of Defence Production must function under one apex organisation. At the services HQ level, the formation of an integrated Department of Logistics may be considered. Central Ordnance Depots (CODs) have to be scaled down and their role should be reduced to basically holding of centrally stocked items, imported stores and all India reserves, that too for technical stores. Non-technical CODs can be wound up. Major store holding establishments will be the Regional Ordnance Depots (RODs). These will receive a majority of their direct from sources of supply ie Directorate General Ordnance Factories (DGOFs), trade and PSUs. Only imported stores would arrive via the CODs. RODs would also hold all India reserves of non-technical items. In fact, the RODs will be the hub of the issue-and receipt activities. The organisation infrastructure will accordingly have to be augmented by transferring the same from the erstwhile CODs.

In field, there is a strong case for smaller ordnance elements as part of composite logistic units to be provided for each brigade of formations earmarked for the strike role. For the major part of the Army, which is deployed where areas of operations along national frontiers are well-defined, it would be more economical to establish ordnance nodes to which formations get hooked when in that area. It is not economical to have dedicated ordnance element with every formation. These nodes will have the capacity to send out detachments.

The procurement system being followed by Defence services must be modified keeping in view the urgency, role and purpose of requirement. Every other major department like Railways and P&T has its own procedures duly approved by the Government. Defence services should formulate one and get it implemented at the earliest. A separate disposal cell under a Deputy Director General (DDG) at Army HQ is essential to monitor and hasten the disposal process. The procedure should provide greater powers to Major Generals of AOC commands and Depot Commandant. The powers given in 1992 should be institutionalised.

It is certain that the AOC will come out as an efficient, professional and vibrant organisation in the next millennium. Under the present high level leadership that the corps enjoys, it is bound to go from strength to strength.