Improper storage damaging $1.8 billion in Army ground combat equipment

[rangerrebew]

Improper storage damaging $1.8 billion in Army ground combat equipment
By Jaime Moore-Carrillo
 Oct 17, 12:21 PM
 
Around $1.8 billion in Army ground combat equipment is “deteriorating or at increased risk of deterioration” due to improper storage, Defense Department investigators have found.

A Department of Defense Office of Inspector General report published Monday uncovered critical deficiencies in how the Pentagon maintains and protects core components of the Army’s land capabilities. The shortfalls, the report warns, could endanger personnel, waste millions, and undermine readiness as the Army attempts to retool its logistical network for conflict across multiple theaters.


Investigators inspected $1.96 billion worth of equipment stored at two distribution centers controlled by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the Defense Department bureau tasked with managing the military’s sprawling supply chains. The DLA’s distribution division, responsible for storing and disseminating materiel, handled a total $3.87 billion of Army ground combat gear as of July 2022, according to the report.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/10/17/improper-storage-damaging-18-billion-in-army-ground-combat-equipment/

[rangerrebew]

Improper storage or sabotage by neglect?

[Kamaji]

Among the spare parts in critical condition were 80 gas turbines, worth almost $90 million, stacked together on a lawn outside of a warehouse. The turbines, meant to be stored indoors, had been there since 2020, investigators learned. Investigators also found tens of millions of dollars worth of tank tracks, vehicle transmission assemblies, and diesel engines stashed away in open-air facilities without proper packaging.

Using appropriate containers and shielding gear from the elements can save millions. Investigators pointed to a case in 2021 when the Army spent $10.92 million to repair engines that had been improperly stored.

[RetBobbyMI]

The Army is its own worst enemy. It pays DLA to store parts, then pays again to buy those parts from DLA. And then has to pay again to fix them after mismanagement.