Securing the Supply Chain

When you walk into a Target store and buy a flashlight, you become part of a supply chain – a complex system of organizations, people, resources and technology. As the customer, you're just one link; the other links include the company manufacturing parts for the flashlight, the company assembling it, the company distributing it, and the company delivering it to the store.

If something goes wrong in the supply chain, however, that flashlight may never get to the store. Even if it does, you might end up with a faulty one. Now, the worst-case scenario here is that you'll get caught in the dark. But what if the supply chain involves an aerospace company that manufactures military aircraft?

In that case, a single mistake or vulnerability could lead to lost lives and even jeopardize national security – and that's why supply chain security is essential, regardless of the end product.

A Non-Intrusive Framework

CACI offers a new cutting-edge solution: the Supply Chain Security Framework. The service provides a thorough risk assessment for organizations, enabling them to minimize disruption of the supply chain and rapidly restore it in the event of a catastrophic failure.

Paul Carey, Logistics Analyst in CACI's Supply Chain and Logistics Innovation Division Group, explains, "We analyze the client's supply chain, help determine where the largest threats are to that supply chain, and then help that customer find ways to avoid those threats or minimize the risk associated with those threats."

Unlike other supply chain solutions, CACI's approach won't impede an organization's operations. For example, organizations that receive shipped cargo may rely on procedures that require them to offload and open every box, slowing operations. But Carey notes there are less time-consuming ways to ensure security.

"We can help clients identify, ahead of time, the types and specific pieces of cargo from various locations that are more prone to security risks," he says. "We can also install sensors in the cargo that identify contaminants or tell you whether it has been opened."

Supply Chain Risks

The supply chain is under constant threat from natural disasters and man-made attacks, both external and internal. Without a security framework in place, Carey notes that supply chains are vulnerable to risks such as denial of service, counterfeiting, corrupted and stolen data, material theft, delivery delays, and misdirected supplies and equipment.

Carey cites the following example: "Let's say you're a parts manufacturer and you're making parts for military aircraft. And perhaps for reasons of industrial espionage, or a motivated cyber attack, someone inside your organization changes the stress factor on a part, right in your database."

In a case like this, Carey continues, the parts are designed and made according to that new stress factor and, to all appearances, adhere to specifications. What are the implications? "The error might take quite some time to be detected, and can pose enormous risks," he explains. "It might not be until the middle of a battle that something starts to fail."

In this case, he adds, "The bad guys could be right inside your gates. The threats can be anywhere."

The CACI Difference

What makes CACI's supply chain security approach different from other solutions? In addition to the fact that it's generally non-intrusive, it has more of a physical dimension.

"Most other solutions focus more on IT alone," Carey says. "The IT portion of the supply chain is critical, but we're looking at it in a broader scope as well. In other words, how do we protect material through its entire lifecycle and all of its associated data?"

To accomplish this, CACI's solution relies on cross-functional capabilities. It was jointly developed by experts in the Cyber Solutions Group and Logistics and Material Readiness team. The result is an end-to-end framework that takes the entire supply chain into account – from the raw materials to the end delivery and sustainment – and provides effective, streamlined, and non-intrusive security controls.

For more information about supply chain security, contact Paul Carey.

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