How Does the Air Force Create Effective Accountability for Initial Spares?

摘要

The accountability for acquisition cost, schedule, and performance lies with the Program Manager. The Goldwater-Nichols Act reinforces this fact and calls for the streamlining of the system to support the Program Manager. Initial spares requirements are part of the acquisition baseline for which the Program Manager is responsible. However, the processes are not in place to allow the Program Manager to effectively manage this cost element. Initial spares have traditionally been managed in Air Force Command on a commodity basis and, therefore, the data systems and procedures that exist today do not support the information that is needed on a weapon system basis. This paper addresses the different organizations involved in th traditional management of initial spares, the lessons learned in estimating the initial spares requirements baseline, and provides recommendations on how the processes should be changed in the future. If the Program Manager is to be held accountable for the delivery of a fully supported weapon system, then some major changes must be put in place. This paper presents several options as to how the processes should be changed.