View source for Materiel

{{Short description|Military arms and supplies}}
{{Distinguish|Material}}
[[File:USMC tanker trailer lowered over the side of SS Gopher State in Thailand, May 1998.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Materiel movements in exercise [[Cobra Gold]] in 1998]]

{{war|logistics}}

'''Materiel''' or '''matériel'''<ref name="mwd">{{cite Merriam-Webster|materiel}}</ref><ref>{{cite OED |matériel |date=March 2021 |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/materiel |title=matériel |encyclopedia=[[Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English]] |publisher=[[Longman]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/materiel?q=matériel |title=matériel |encyclopedia=[[Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˌ|t|ɪər|i|ˈ|ɛ|l}}; {{etymology|fr|matériel|equipment, hardware}}) is supplies, [[equipment]], and [[weapon]]s in [[military supply-chain management]], and typically supplies and equipment in a [[commerce|commercial]] [[supply chain management|supply chain]] context.{{efn|name=MerriamW|1= matériel: "equipment, apparatus, and supplies used by an organization or institution"— Merriam-Webster's Dictionary <ref name="mwd" /><ref name=dla/><ref name=imm/>}}

==Military==
In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specific needs (excluding manpower) of a force to complete a specific [[military operation|mission]], or the general sense of the needs (excluding manpower) of a functioning army.{{efn|name=MerriamW}}

An important category of materiel is commonly referred to as '''ordnance''', especially concerning mounted guns ([[artillery]]) and the [[shell (projectile)|shells]] they consume. Along with fuel, and [[ammunition|munitions]] in general, the steady supply of ordnance is an ongoing logistical challenge in active combat zones. 

Materiel management consists of continuing actions relating to planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, controlling, and evaluating the application of resources to ensure the effective and economical support of military forces. It includes provisioning, cataloging, requirements determination, acquisition, distribution, maintenance, and disposal. The terms "materiel management", "materiel control", "inventory control", "inventory management", and "supply management" are synonymous.<ref name=imm>DoD Integrated Materiel Management (IMM) for Consumable Items, 4140.26-M, Volume 2, September 24, 2010, Glossary, p. 38.</ref><ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Mitchell
 | first =D G
 | title =The important role of materiel management in building Army readiness
 | journal =Army Sustainment
| date =December 2017
 | url =https://www.army.mil/article/195217/the_important_role_of_materiel_management_in_building_army_readiness
 | access-date =March 1, 2019
 }}</ref>

Materiel is often shipped to and used in severe climates without controlled warehouses or fixed [[material handling equipment]].  [[Packaging and labeling]] often need to meet stringent [[technical specifications]] to help ensure proper delivery and final use.<ref name=dla>{{cite web
  | last = Maloney
  | first = J. C.
  | title = The History and Significance of Military Packaging
  | work = Defence Packaging Policy Group
  | publisher = Defence Logistics Agency
  | date = July 2003
  | url = http://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/LandAndMaritime/V/VS/Packaging/LM_pkghistory_151007.pdf
  | url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915114257/http://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/LandAndMaritime/V/VS/Packaging/LM_pkghistory_151007.pdf | archive-date= 2018-09-15}}</ref>  Some military procurement allows for commercial packaging rather than the more stringent [[military grade]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.astm.org/d3951-18.html|title=ASTM D3951-18: Standard Practice for Commercial Packaging|website=ASTM}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed heights=160>
File:RASC troops stacking ration boxes in the harbour at Dieppe, 14 October 1944. B10867.jpg|Sorting supplies in [[Dieppe]], 1944
File:Pallets and containers of equipment sit in a logistics support area during Operation Desert Shield.jpg|Pallets and containers of equipment sit in a logistics support area during [[Operation Desert Shield]], 1991
</gallery>

==Commercial==
Materiel in the [[distribution (business)|commercial distribution]] context refers to the products of the business, as distinct from those involved in operating the business itself.{{efn|name=MerriamW}}

==See also==
<!--Should incorporate these into article and remove list-->
* [[Anti-materiel rifle]]
* [[Inventory]]
* [[Matériel (French Army)]]
* [[Military acquisition]]
* [[Military logistics]]
* [[Military supply chain management]]
* [[Supply chain]]
* [[United States Army Materiel Command]]
* [[Air Force Materiel Command]]
* [[United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command]]

==References==
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== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}

{{authority control}}
[[Category:Freight transport]]
[[Category:Military logistics]]