Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

RFID is an abbreviation for Radio Frequency Identification, a technology that allows for the automatic identification of objects using radio signals. An RFID system is generally made up of interrogators (readers) that send out radio signals which will read or program transponders (tags).

RFID systems have been used for decades in applications such as keyless entry for building security systems or for automatically collecting toll money on highways. The Department of Defense and several large retailers such as Wal-Mart have recently mandated that their suppliers begin applying RFID tags to boxes and pallets so that they can easily be tracked after they are received from suppliers. The RFID tags used in this scenario are passive, meaning they do not contain batteries and as such they are low-cost, disposable, and thin enough to be embedded into standard shipping labels.

The data in an RFID label destined for the Department of Defense is usually very minimal, it won't contain much more than your DoD cage code and a serial number. No other significant information is programmed into the tag. So how does the DoD use RFID to know what is in your boxes? The answer is that you communicate information about what is in each logistic unit by sending receiving reports to the DoD Wide Area Workflow System (WAWF).