Summary: Each service-person is issued a small IC card (intelligent card) containing all the information he or she needs for logistics services. They can use the small card to receive salary, food, bedding and clothing, medical care and other services in a very convenient, fast way. Thus, the efficiency of logistics services now is increased.

　　The General Logistics Department implemented this pilot scheme of applying IC cards to logistics services in a unit of the Beijing Military Area Command. Three years ago, the General Logisitcs Department, the Beijing Military Area Command and the unit jointly conducted a survey to find out the situation of logistics services in the unit, which indicated that as the PLA developed, the traditional military logistics service pattern could not live up to the expectations of the modern logistics. Reduced to the essentials, the traditional pattern of logistics service has the following disadvantages:

　　Many people are responsible for the same management, which winds up with inconsistent logistics supply principles; everything is done annually, which results in poor efficiency; management is done extensively, which causes inaccurate logistics supplies, either too much, or too little.

　　The unit, with the powerful support of the General Logistics Department and the Beijing Military Area Command, started to reform its logisitcs mode, three years ago.

　　After the Party committee of the unit studied earnestly Jiang Zemin's thinking on national defense and army building, it decided to use "military logistics card" to manage its logistics services.

　　The card combines the technologies of the PLA automatic commanding, intelligent card, computer and information and can be used for supply identification, statistics, salary payoff, weaponry and equipment, housing, medical care, meals, and transfer of documents. It contains the information of a serviceperson about his/her basic information, finance, bedding and clothing, provisions, barracks, sanitation and confidentials. Servicepeople can use these cards to receive all the logistics services.

　　The application of these cards have resulted in a brand-new logistics form that is intensive, efficient, accurate and transparent. Zhao Jianyi, political commissar of the unit, told reporters that the card had brought about the following four major changes:

　　—Standardized logistics information. In the past, all the logistics sections had to be asked to gather the required information and the statistics had to be repeated. Today, the information on the logistics card system is shared by all the sections and serves as standardized data and provides details for decision-making and management.

　　—Increased efficiency. It used to took at least 15 days to conduct a survey of the logistics service situation of the unit. Now, it takes only 10 minutes.

　　—More accurate logistics. The cards enable all the sections of the unit to monitor real time changes in logistics to make and adjust their budgetary and supplies plans and prevent inaccurate logistics services from happening.

　　—Finally, the cards save servicepeople from many time-consuming matters, for example, medical care, salary payoff, uniforms and others. In the past, they had to go to different sections and sometimes traveled hundreds of kilometers to go through those formalities. Now, an IC card is a convenient passport for logistics.

　　By Ling Chunhua, Guo Jianyue and Wang Shibin

　　(November 3，PLA Daily)