Item Unique Identification (IUID) Standards for Tangible Personal Property

The Department of Defense has issued a directive, signed on June 16, 2008, which establishes Item Unique Identification (IUID) Standards for Tangible Personal Property. (PDF) The directive is effective immediately and established policy guidelines for UII (Unique Item Identifiers) for Asset Tags on Government Furnished Property (GFP). Quoting from that DoD document:

2. APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE
This Instruction applies to:

2.1. OSD, the Military Departments, the Office of the 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint 
Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Office of the 
Inspector General of the Department of Defense, 
the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, 
and all other organizational entities within the 
Department of Defense (hereafter referred to 
collectively as the “DoD Components”).

2.2. Personal property with UII that meet the 
requirements of References (b) through (f).

2.3. Financial, property accountability, acquisition, 
supply, maintenance, and logistics systems.

The document itself points to government sites with further information on UID Asset Tags in the links below:

E3.5. WHERE TO GO FOR MORE INFORMATION
IUID Website
WAWF Website
Federal eBiz Website