10 U.S.C. § 2458: Inventory management policies

establish maximum levels for inventory items sufficient to achieve and maintain only those levels for inventory items necessary for the national defense; provide guidance to item managers and other appropriate officials on how effectively to eliminate wasteful practices in the acquisition and management of inventory items; and set forth a uniform system for the valuation of inventory items by the military departments and Defense Agencies. The Secretary of Defense shall establish procedures to ensure that, with regard to item managers and other personnel responsible for the acquisition and management of inventory items of the Department of Defense, personnel appraisal systems for such personnel give appropriate consideration to efforts made by such personnel to eliminate wasteful practices and achieve cost savings in the acquisition and management of inventory items. Not later than 240 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Dec. 19, 2014 ], the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics shall issue Department-wide guidance designating an authoritative source of data for conventional ammunition. Not later than 10 days after issuing the guidance required by this subsection, the Under Secretary shall notify the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] on what source of data has been designated under this subsection. The Secretary of the Army shall include in the appropriate annual ammunition inventory reports, as determined by the Secretary, information on all available ammunition for use during the redistribution process, including any ammunition that was unclaimed and categorized for disposal by another military service during a year before the year during which the report is submitted.” Not later than September 30, 1997 , the Secretary of Defense shall, to the maximum extent practicable, implement a system under which consumable inventory items referred to in subsection (b) are delivered to military installations throughout the United States directly by the vendors of those items. The purpose for implementing the system is to reduce the expense and necessity of maintaining extensive warehouses for those items within the Department of Defense. Food and clothing. Medical and pharmaceutical supplies. Automotive, electrical, fuel, and construction supplies. Other consumable inventory items the Secretary considers appropriate.”