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Military Airlift: Peacetime Use of War Reserve Spares Reduces Wartime Capabilities

NSIAD-90-186 Published: Jun 25, 1990. Publicly Released: Jun 25, 1990.
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Highlights

GAO reviewed: (1) the Department of Defense's (DOD) use of war reserve spares to support the peacetime operations of the C-5 and C-141 long-range airlift aircraft; (2) shortcomings in DOD reporting of the status of war reserve parts to the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and (3) the effects of recent changes in Eastern Europe on U.S. war reserve spare requirements.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Air Force to ensure that the Weapons Systems Management Information System (WSMIS) includes the availability of spares in war reserve spares kits and separately identifies the availability of the investment spares, as required by Air Force instructions.
Closed – Implemented
AFLC actions planned were taken and testing of the WSMIS module was planned during the C-141 VOLEN CAPE II Exercise during September 1990. The exercise was cancelled at the onset of Operation Desert Shield/Storm and instead MAC used actual data from home station and deployed units beginning August 8, 1990 to the present. The Air Force believes that this will provide a more realistic assessment.

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Sarah Kaczmarek
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Topics

Air Force suppliesAircraft componentsAircraft maintenanceDefense contingency planningEmergency preparednessManagement information systemsMilitary aircraftMilitary airlift operationsMilitary inventoriesSpare parts