Use of Six Sigma for Quality Assurance in the Arms Industry

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present military applications of the quality assurance method called Six Sigma. This method is applied worldwide to manage quality. It is used by major global enterprises including those producing goods for military purposes. One of its greatest users is the Army of the United States of America as well as other national armies. Six Sigma is part of strategies used in enterprise management, in which quality is perceived as a crucial factor in improvement of competitive market advantage as well as a solution enabling confrontation with emerging threats. Functioning of an army is connected not only with activities related to military operations, but also with purchase of military equipment and other goods, repairs of the equipment, health protection, data collection, transportation, and storage. Six Sigma and solutions based on experience with the method may be applied to all of these areas.