Requirements and Production Capabilities Are Uncertain for Some Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps Aircraft Spares and Repair Parts
PLRD-82-77
Published: Jul 22, 1982. Publicly Released: Aug 04, 1982.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the processes used by the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps to develop their fiscal year (FY) 1982 budgets for aircraft spares and repair parts, the subsequent procurement plans for these items, and the adequacy of management information systems to address the problems associated with these items.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Air Force | The Secretary of the Air Force should speed up the testing and validation of the WARS model, as well as mission essentiality coding, and use these tools in procuring spares and repair parts to fill war reserve material requirements. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The Air Force has adopted the Weapon System Management Information System to D029, War Reserve Requirements Determination System. This combination provides the necessary assessments and requirements capability that WARS was designed to provide.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should closely monitor the military services' actions to overcome systemic shortcomings with their requirements determination process to ensure proper resolution of the reported problems. |
Closed – Implemented
The Department of Defense (DOD) approved the weapon system management concept on June 26, 1985. Implementation of the capabilities, required in the concept, will be done incrementally and will extend beyond the year 2000.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require the Secretary of the Air Force to make limited tests of the feasibility of generically coding aircraft items, based on the material trends identified in the Joint Aeronautical Material Activity Reports, to identify the causes of lengthening lead times. Based on the test results, if it is determined that shortages of certain critical materials, components, or manufacturing processes are the causes of lengthening lead times, the Secretary of Defense should pursue alternatives for resolving problems. |
Closed – Implemented
The study to determine the feasibility of generically coding items by material composition and manufacturing techniques concluded that the concept was not feasible, since over 500 Air Force computer systems would have to be restructured.
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Topics
Aircraft componentsBudget outlaysComputer modelingDefense procurementManagement information systemsMilitary aircraftMilitary inventoriesMobilizationSpare partsMilitary forces