
289
25
U.S. Army RFID Initiatives
In this chapter, we present past, current, and future U.S. Army RFID initiatives. This includes both
active and passive radio frequency identication (RFID) efforts.
25.1 INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Army has been utilizing active RFID technology since as early as 1993. These early efforts
were a direct result of the logistical problems encountered in the Middle East operations, Desert Shield
and Desert Storm between 1990 and 1991. Early efforts included tagging cargo for North Atlantic
Treaty Organization operations in Haiti and Macedonia, with approximately 35% of the cargo tagged.
Over the next few years, the Army