(a) The Secretary of Defense shall develop a single catalog system and related program of standardizing supplies for the Department of Defense.

(b) In cataloging, the Secretary shall name, describe, classify, and number each item recurrently used, bought, stocked, or distributed by the Department of Defense, so that only one distinctive combination of letters or numerals, or both, identifies the same item throughout the Department of Defense. Only one identification may be used for each item for all supply functions from purchase to final disposal in the field or other area. The catalog may consist of a number of volumes, sections, or supplements. It shall include all items of supply and, for each item, information needed for supply operations, such as descriptive and performance data, size, weight, cubage, packaging and packing data, a standard quantitative unit of measurement, and other related data that the Secretary determines to be desirable.

(c) In standardizing supplies the Secretary shall, to the highest degree practicable—

(1) standardize items used throughout the Department of Defense by developing and using single specifications, eliminating overlapping and duplicate specifications, and reducing the number of sizes and kinds of items that are generally similar;

(2) standardize the methods of packing, packaging, and preserving such items; and

(3) make efficient use of the services and facilities for inspecting, testing, and accepting such items.

(d) The Secretary shall coordinate with the Administrator of General Services to enable the use of commercial identifiers for commercial products (as defined in section 103 of title 41) within the Federal cataloging system.