Army Maintenance: Continuing Problems in Performing Maintenance at the User Level

Highlights

GAO reported on the Army's problems in maintaining equipment at the user level and evaluated the effectiveness of its organizational maintenance program.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of the Army	The Secretary of the Army should reemphasize to commanders at all levels the importance of maintenance in supporting an effective combat force, and direct the commanders to ensure that: (1) equipment operators and maintenance personnel are properly supervised and trained in the correct procedures and practices; (2) maintenance personnel are properly trained on and required to use test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment; and (3) equipment operators and maintenance personnel are held accountable for and evaluated on how well they perform their assigned duties.	Closed – Implemented The following actions have been completed, or are in process: (1) development of training courses; (2) establishment of automatic data processing (ADP) systems to enhance reporting; and (3) establishment of proposed PMCS teams.
Department of the Army	The Secretary of the Army should: (1) direct the Army Inspector General to evaluate the causes of inadequate equipment status reporting and determine why the Army has not corrected the long-standing maintenance problems; and (2) direct subordinate commands to summarize and provide maintenance data to major commands so as to identify organizational maintenance problems and trends.	Closed – Implemented Army regulations were revised to incorporate this recommendation.

Full Report

Full Report (58 pages)

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Topics

National Defense

Army personnelCombat readinessEquipment inventoriesEquipment maintenanceEquipment repairsMilitary materielMonitoringProperty and supply managementMilitary forcesLogistics