Depot Maintenance: Improved Strategic Planning Needed to Ensure That Navy Depots Can Meet Future Maintenance Requirements
GAO-10-585
Published: Jun 11, 2010. Publicly Released: Jun 11, 2010.
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Highlights
The Navy's depots provide critical maintenance support to operations around the world. The Department of Defense's (DOD) increased reliance on the private sector for depot maintenance support coupled with downsizing led to a deterioration of depots' capabilities and cost increases. In 2007, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) directed each service to submit a depot maintenance strategic plan and provided direction for the content of those plans. The 2007 U.S. Navy Depot Maintenance Strategic Plan contained a separate plan for each of five functional areas and an executive summary. GAO used qualitative content analyses to determine the extent to which two of the plans address (1) elements of a results-oriented management framework and (2) OSD's direction for the plan's content. GAO examined the plans for Navy aviation (NAVAIR) and ships (NAVSEA), which account for 94 percent of Navy depot workload.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | To provide greater assurance that Navy depots will be postured and resourced to meet future maintenance requirements, and to revise the Navy's depot maintenance strategic plan, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Navy to fully and explicitly address all elements needed for a comprehensive results-oriented management framework, including those elements that we have identified as partially addressed or not addressed in the current plan. |
Closed – Not Implemented
In October 2013, the Navy issued the United States Navy Depot Maintenance Strategic Plan. While the Plan describes in some detail some of the metrics that comprise a strategic plan, it does not fully address some of the elements of a results-oriented management framework. For example, the Plan does not identify the funding, personnel, and infrastructure resources that are needed to have a results-oriented management framework.
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| Department of Defense | To provide greater assurance that Navy depots will be postured and resourced to meet future maintenance requirements, and to revise the Navy's depot maintenance strategic plan, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Navy to demonstrate clear linkages among plans should the Navy continue to submit individual depot maintenance strategic plans instead of a single Navy-wide plan. |
Closed – Not Implemented
In October 2013, the Navy issued the United States Depot Maintenance Strategic Plan. The Plan does not demonstrate linkages between the Naval Sea System Command depot maintenance strategies and goals and those for the Naval Air System Command. Also, the Plan does not demonstrate linkages between the Navy's overall depot maintenance strategies and goals and those for the two System Commands. For example, the Plan does not explain the linkages between the System Commands in respect to how they plan to optimize the industrial base in the long term.
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| Department of Defense | To provide greater assurance that Navy depots will be postured and resourced to meet future maintenance requirements, and to revise the Navy's depot maintenance strategic plan, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Navy to fully and explicitly address the four critical areas of logistics transformation, core logistics capability assurance, workforce revitalization, and capital investment, consistent with Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (OUSD, AT&L) criteria. |
Closed – Implemented
In October 2013, the Navy issued the United States Navy Depot Maintenance Strategic Plan. The Plan is structured on the Office of Secretary of Defense's four depot maintenance strategic elements: logistics transformation, core logistics capability assurance, workforce revitalization, and capital investment. In addition, the Plan provides a detailed description of each the strategic elements, including the goals, objectives, and metrics needed to implement these elements.
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| Department of Defense | To provide greater assurance that Navy depots will be postured and resourced to meet future maintenance requirements, and to revise the Navy's depot maintenance strategic plan, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Navy to develop and implement procedures to review revisions of the depot maintenance strategic plan to ensure they fully address all key elements of a results-oriented management framework, explicitly address any OUSD (AT&L) direction for the plans, and periodically assess progress and corrective actions to the extent needed in meeting the plans' goals. |
Closed – Not Implemented
In October 2013, the Navy issued the United States Navy Depot Maintenance Strategic Plan. The Plan notes that the Office Of Naval Operations will annually assess progress on the strategic plan in accordance with the process detailed in the Metrics and Assessment section of this plan. However, the Plan does not describe how the assessment will be implemented regarding how it monitors progress and what are the results of the assessment. Further, the Plan does not describe the assessment particularly in respect to what actions will be taken in the event there is no or limited progress toward achieving strategic goals.
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Defense capabilitiesDefense procurementEquipment maintenanceFacility maintenanceLogisticsMilitary operationsNaval aviationNaval facilitiesNaval operationsNaval procurementProcurement planningProgram managementShipsShipyardsStrategic planningWeapons systemsMaintenance