Defense Logistics: Changes to Stryker Vehicle Maintenance Support Should Identify Strategies for Addressing Implementation Challenges
Abstract
The Armys change from contractor personnel to soldiers conducting maintenance on the Stryker vehicle may not fully achieve its intended outcome of increasing the brigades flexibility to perform in different types of combat operations. We identified three potential challenges that may affect the Armys ability to achieve its intended outcome. First, personnel challenges may affect implementation of the planned change. Since vehicle maintenance contractors focus solely on the Stryker vehicle while soldiers perform a variety of tasks in addition to maintenance, the Armys plan replaces the existing 45 Stryker vehicle maintenance contractor personnel with 71 soldiers. Accordingly, to implement its plan, the Army must annually recruit or retain 497 additional soldiers with specific military specialties to support all seven Stryker brigades. As we have previously reported, some of these specialties have been consistently underfilled. Second, the Armys plan increases the size of the brigade, and transporting the additional personnel and their associated equipment may exacerbate the existing difficulties in meeting deployment timelines that we have previously reported. Deploying the Stryker brigade anywhere in the world within 96 hours is a component of the Stryker brigades flexibility. However, the Armys plan does not address the effect of the increased logistical footprint on the brigades ability to deploy within 96 hours. Finally, since the Stryker brigade was designed with a limited ability to perform major combat operations, achieving the Armys desired flexibility requires the Stryker brigade to receive additional sustainment support from Army units external to the brigade in order for it to perform a major combat operation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 05, 2006
- Accession Number
- AD1153648
Entities
People
- William M. Solis
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office