How Blockchain Is Powering the U.S. Army’s Supply Chain Revolution
When most people hear “blockchain,” they think crypto tokens. But for the U.S. military, blockchain isn’t about speculation — it’s about trust, traceability and real-world impact.
Recently, the 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command (USARIC), in collaboration with SIMBA Chain, AKUA Inc., the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), completed a groundbreaking pilot that did just that.
When most people hear “blockchain,” they think crypto tokens. But for the U.S. military, blockchain isn’t about speculation — it’s about trust, traceability and real-world impact.
Recently, the 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command (USARIC), in collaboration with SIMBA Chain, AKUA Inc., the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), completed a groundbreaking pilot that did just that.
A Massive Logistics Challenge
The Department of Defense runs one of the world’s most complex logistics networks: moving gear, vehicles, and supplies across the globe — often into contested or time-sensitive environments.
But the systems behind that movement? Fragmented. Manual. Siloed. That means: delayed visibility, weak audit trails and mission risk.
Enter the USARIC-led pilot.
Blockchain Meets IoT in the Field
Under the umbrella of “Operation Mission Truth,” led by Maj. Matthew Goyette of USARIC, the pilot, married IoT tracking hardware with a blockchain backbone.
- Smart tags from AKUA monitored geolocation, environmental conditions and tamper events.
- SIMBA Chain provided an immutable ledger recording every movement, transfer and condition event.
- The team moved 600 tons of equipment in a single mission — more than what had been moved in the previous 31 months using conventional logistics processes.
- Ten tagged items followed the full chain of custody in a live operational event, proving the concept beyond theory and spreadsheets
Why It Matters
You don’t need to be a logistics expert to see the benefits here:
Visibility
Real-time location and condition data for high-value assets.
Accountability
Record once, tamper-evident, verifiable across services.
Interoperability
Army, Air Force, DLA working on the same trackable network.
Scalability
A pilot that works in the field — not just in a lab.
For SIMBA Chain, it’s concrete proof that blockchain isn’t sci-fi; it’s mission-critical.
The Partners Behind the Innovation
- SIMBA Chain — delivered the blockchain platform that turns movement into trusted data.
- AKUA Inc. — provided IoT tracking tags that captured movement, condition and integrity.
- Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) — brought global logistics networks and operational integration.
- U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) — provided logistics coordination and mission execution.
- Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) — contributed research and adaptation of emerging tech.
What Comes Next
With the pilot wrapped, the next chapter is already underway:
- A formal document capturing requirements for blockchain-enabled supply chains is being drafted.
- Scaling across services and commands is being planned.
- Exploration of asset tokenization and smart contracts for automated custody and transfer is on the horizon.
As Maj. Goyette put it, “We’ve proven blockchain can bring accountability and real-time insight to the military supply chain.”
References
