Chapter 2
SUPPLY FUNCTIONS
The primary. mission of the Navy supply
system is to support the material needs of the
Navy. The system itself is composed of a group
of activities which furnish most of the materials
required to meet the supply needs of ships and
ashore installations. To achieve its objective of
meeting the supply needs of the Navy, the
system is responsible for the procurement,
distribution, inventory control, and stowing of
materials.
It is important for Religious Program
Specialists (RPs) to become familiar with the
Navy’s supply system in order to enable them to
meet the requirements of this system for obtain-
ing the necessary support for the Command
Religious Program (CRP).
Procurement of ecclesiastical material or
supplies in support of the CRP is handled
through normal Navy and Marine Corps supply
channels. The RP will play an important role in
the procurement of these materials. It is im-
perative that the RP knows what material is
authorized, where it is obtained, the forms used
in procurement, and the correct preparation of
these forms.
NATIONAL STOCK NUMBER
The RP must become familiar with and
understand certain terms in order to properly
use the Navy’s supply system. The National
Stock Number (NSN) is one such term. An NSN
is a 13-digit stock number assigned by the
Defense Logistics Services Center (DLSC),
Battle Creek, Michigan, to identify an item of
material in the supply distribution system of the
United States. It consists of a 4-digit Federal
Supply Classification (FSC) number, and a
9-digit National Item Identification Number
(NIIN). The FSC consists of a 2-digit FSC
Group followed by a 2-digit FSC Class, and the
NIIN consists of a 2-digit National Codification
Bureau (NCB) Code number and 7 digits which,
in conjunction with the NCB Code, uniquely
identify each NSN item in the Federal Supply
Distribution System. For example, the NSN,
9925-00-639-8664, for a “Candlelighter and
Snuffer” is illustrated below.
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