# DLA supports military standards, specifications documents 

/ Published June 7, 2023
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
“MIL-STD” and “MIL-SPEC” are “mil-speak” for military standards and military specifications that define thousands of products and processes across the Defense Department.

Military specifications describe a product’s physical or operational characteristics, and military standards detail the processes and materials used to make it. Both serve as a common language among military organizations to promote interoperability and reliability.

“**Military marking for shipment and storage**” is a common military standard DLA customers search for by a specific number.The document ID number uses the abbreviated format “**MIL-STD-129**.”If a customer searches for that document number on the ASSIST Quick Search application, they can find all the documentation related to MIL-STD-129, including revision histories and details on the preparing activities.    “DOD develops and procures an incredible amount of material and engineering services through private contractors,” said Patrick Kershner, departmental standardization officer for the Defense Logistics Agency's Standardization Program. “Military standards set and communicate standards on how things are to be designed, built and tested in a controlled, known and acceptable manner so that all who bid on contracts know exactly what is expected of them to be successful and competitive.”

DLA manages around 12,500 of more than 27,000 active departmentwide documents, to include defense specifications, standards, and handbooks; federal specifications and standards; guide specifications; commercial item descriptions; and non-government standards, Kershner continued.

    Military and commercial standards                                    Did you know?                    Over time, DOD has shifted focus from military to commercial standards to lessen reliance on formatting unique to the government, with DOD participating in developing those non-governmental standards. Look left or right for military and commercial examples.                                            Military example: Marking of electrical and electronic parts                        Symbols and color codes                            Figures such as this used in MIL-STD-1285D for the physical marking of electrical and electronic parts are used in military standards and other standardization documents to describe a product’s physical or operational characteristics.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: DLA Land and MaritimeVIRIN: 210504-D-D0041-1001**Military Standard MIL-STD-1285D**
There are standards for marking electrical parts. From the standard:

*"Functional and part identification marking shall be applied in the location specified in the acquisition document. Where size, surface condition, or other design considerations will not allow marking in accordance with either method I or II, the acquisition document shall specify the method of application (unit package, tag, or label), and the exact marking requirements. Special marking (caution warnings, radioactive) also shall be as specified in the acquisition document."*                                    Commercial example: Cookies                        Chocolate chip cookies                            Even chocolate chip cookies procured by the federal government adhere to a standard, however, it is a commercial rather than a military standard. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Figueroa            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Elizabeth FigueroaVIRIN: 221207-F-XI916-1100**Commercial Standard A-A-20295**
Some standards are adapted from commercial standards. The humble chocolate chip cookie has a standard:

*"The cookies shall have a distinct chocolate flavor typical of the flavor specified. The cookies shall have a tan to medium brown color. The cookies shall have a uniform distribution of chocolate chips and when applicable nuts, chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, pan coated candy, peanut butter cups, and chocolate-covered-crunchy-peanut-butter candy. When bake type A is specified, the texture shall be crispy, crunchy, and slightly crumbly, with a firm bite. Bake type A cookies may exhibit some surface cracking. When bake type B is specified, the texture shall be soft and slightly chewy."*

Suppliers may look to DLA for military specifications or standards for items they want to supply to DLA. However, Kershner said DLA does not manage all specifications and standards.

But anyone assuming DLA is fully responsible isn’t far off, at least physically – DLA shares a headquarters building with the Defense Standardization Program. Management of military specifications and standards falls under the DSP as “standardization documents,” which is a generic phrase for documents standardizing an item of supply, process, procedure, method, data, practice or engineering approach.

DLA’s role comes in when parts of the organization known as “preparing activities” maintain standardization documents for items and processes involved in DLA procurements. Maintenance occurs throughout the document’s lifespan and involves development, updating, inactivating for new designs, validating requirements, cancelling, and coordination with other DOD, civilian and industry entities as needed. All military services have preparing activities, Kershner added.

Military and industry customers can use the Acquisition Streamlining and Standardization Information System, or ASSIST, to look up specific documents and find the related preparing activities.

Keeping ASSIST populated is an ongoing process for DLA, Kershner said.

A document may need to be revised every five to 10 years so contents stay relevant and technically accurate, he added. Along with the sheer number of documents, older, lower-quality files need to be converted into editable PDFs. Manually updating files to make them easier to use can also be time consuming, requiring the agency’s preparing activities to have the technology and resources to do it.

Results of these efforts contribute to the larger contracting process, ensuring DLA contracts calling out standardization documents are available for vendors to access.
Using ASSIST
What is ASSIST?ASSIST is the Acquisition Streamlining and Standardization Information System. It’s a system used to develop, coordinate, distribute, and manage Defense Standardization Program technical documents. It also provides access to Quality Products Database information.                Why use ASSIST?                You may want to:- Search for documents
- Identify standardization contacts
- Generate reports
- Get email alerts when a preparing activity develops or modifies a document, posts a draft for coordination, or publishes a new or revised document                     How is ASSIST used?                 There are several ways to search for documents. Depending on the method, search terms or filters, a search may locate a single document or return a list of documents. Each document has a unique identifier called a document ID, and each is linked to a details page that displays information about the document. It lists all available document parts comprising that document's revision history.                  What’s the difference between ASSIST and ASSIST Quick Search?- ASSIST Quick Search  is a publicly accessible tool that lets users search for defense and federal specifications and standards, military handbooks, commercial item descriptions, data item descriptions, detail drawings, qualified product lists, and related technical documents. In most cases, users may download documents that have been cleared for public release.  
- Outside of Quick Search, registered ASSIST users can also access select international standardization agreements, such as International Test Operating Procedures and NATO standards ratified by the United States. Registered users may also find standardization contacts, generate reports, and make profiles to receive alerts when a preparing activity develops or modifies a document, posts a draft, or publishes a new or revised document.