Analysis of the costs and benefits of the USMC Light Armored Vehicle Depot Maintenance (IROAN) Program

Abstract

The Inspect Repair Only As Necessary (IROAN) program is a depot level maintenance program designed to improve the operational availability of Light Armored Vehicles in the Marine Corps inventory. the policy for assigning vehicles to the IROAN program is based on age, mileage and operating hours, with the primary criteria being time since last Iroan cycle. A cost benefit analysis was conducted using historical readiness reporting to determine if the current policy is the most cost effective among reasonable alternatives. Research indicates that the LAV fleet is actually managed on an eight year cycle, with vehicles from the operating forces receiving depot maintenance more frequently. Indications are that the average time between depot maintenance for operating forces is only slightly more frequent that the optimal timing of seven years. In the course of this research it became clear that the fragmented nature of USMC vehicle maintenance data makes performing these types of studies time-consuming and expensive. Consequently the difficulties in obtaining relevant data limit the quality of information available to support the Program Manager's decisions. l.