Commander Naval Air Forces (CNAF) Aircraft Operations Maintenance (AOM): an examination of effectiveness in maintaining and operating an aging aircraft fleet

Abstract

Naval aviation serves as a vital component of many air and ground task organized forces vying for a share of the Department of Defense (DoD) budget. The decisions in the 1990s to reduce purchases of new equipment left the Navy with aging fleets of aircraft that are increasingly expensive to maintain. This situation coupled with the cost of the Global War on Terror has created a cycle in which more funds are spent maintaining older equipment at the expense of new purchases. This has lead to still older equipment and higher maintenance costs. The increases in the costs of operating and maintaining aging military equipment have created a budgetary crisis in the Department of Defense. The Commander Naval Air Forces (CNAF), Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMNAVAIRPAC), and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (COMNAVAIRLANT), face the great challenge of effectively vying for their share of the 37 percent of the DoD budget that pays for the day-to-day costs of Operation and Maintenance (OandM). Precisely identifying budgeting and costs for sustaining Aircraft Operations Maintenance (AOM) of the Navy's aging fleet of aircraft is vital to preserving an essential component of current war fighting doctrine. Unfortunately, establishing the association between age and costs is complex. Costs are likely to be affected by an aircraft's age, component technology, the number of flight hours, manner in which it is flown, and the resources devoted to maintenance. Therefore, to better identify costs and maintenance trends of value to Naval aviation, the cost drivers for AOM should be investigated. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the aircraft maintenance process in conjunction with actions to remove impediments to non-deployed aviation readiness. The methodology for the study will involve an analysis of specific changes in training personnel, equipping depots, executing programs, and utilizing infrastructure, along with a review of the end results of these changes.