U.S. Army looks to Savi Network RFID solution in Pakistan

U.S. Army looks to Savi Network RFID solution in Pakistan The U.S. Army, frustrated by problems with building a radio-frequency identification network of its own in Pakistan, is considering using an existing RFID system built by Lockheed Martin subsidiary Savi Networks.
   Army efforts to build a system to track containers and pallets moving through Pakistan to U.S. forces operating in the Middle East have been hampered by restrictions from the Pakistani government. The Army already tags most of its shipped materials with RFID tags, but getting the correct readers setup within Pakistan has been problematic.
   To solve the problem, the Army is looking to a Savi Networks system already in place in Pakistan. According to the Government Executive Web site, the Army intends to modify its contract with Savi Technology, another Lockheed Martin subsidiary, to use the Savi Networks RFID infrastructure in Pakistan.
   Critics have pointed to Savi Networks minority partner, Hutchinson Holdings, as a potential problem. Hutchinson is a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. of Hong Kong and is controlled by Chinese billionaire Li Ka Shing.
   Savi Technology maintains that Hutchinson is a passive minority partner and the business structure should pose no security risk for the Army.