CTMA Project #: 142163
Problem: Corrosion of fielded equipment and infrastructure poses critical economic, reliability and safety problems to the American public. These problems are magnified for the United States (U.S.) Army. Army assets generally carry a higher price tag, greater need for reliability and greater exposure to lethal threats than their commercial counterparts. Therefore, corrosion of Army assets can result in even greater impacts to cost, military readiness and soldier safety. The Army has recognized its corrosion problems since the 1980s but has been unsuccessful in addressing them to date. Initially, the CPC program focused entirely on weapon systems with a heavy emphasis on field maintenance. Attempts to place greater emphasis on upfront activities that directly influence maintenance, such as requirements development, design and production, were never fully implemented or sustained.
Benefit: Although the processes are being developed to meet Army requirements, they are expected to have broader applicability to the other military departments, other government agencies, the military industrial base, and various commercial organizations. All CPC improvements ultimately benefit the public through lower sustainment costs, reduced safety risks and a stronger, more ready U.S. military, and ultimately lower cost of goods and services to the public.
Solution/Approach: The solution is to improve the effectiveness of organization-wide programs in reducing the negative impacts of corrosion on fielded equipment and infrastructure. The intent of this project is to develop best practice technical and business process solutions to effectively address corrosion throughout the life cycle of fielded equipment and infrastructure. Pursuing all required processes in an integrated fashion is the most effective and efficient way to ensure that they are fully coordinated, compatible and focused on the same goals. Each of the processes will need to be developed, proven out, implemented, assessed and improved using a multi-phase approach.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Enhance warfighter safety
- Reduce maintenance and sustainment costs
- Increase lifecycle of equipment and infrastructure
- Improve education and training
DOD Participation:
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Navy (observer)
- U.S. Air Force (observer)
- Office of the Secretary of Defense (observer)
Industry Participation:
- Jensen Hughes
- NCMS
Benefit Area(s):
- Cost savings
- Maintenance avoidance and reliability
- Safety
- Improved readiness
- Reliability improvement
Focus Area:
- Coatings and corrosion prevention
