Military Readiness: Management Focus Needed on Airfields for Overseas Deployments
Abstract
The National Military Strategy calls for the Department of Defense (DOD) to maintain the transportation capability to quickly move the large amounts of personnel and equipment needed to win two nearly simultaneous major theater wars anywhere in the world. To provide this mobility, DOD relies on a transportation system that includes an airlift fleet of cargo aircraft and a critical network of overseas airfields that provide logistical support to aircraft on their way to the war zones. DOD calls this network of bases the En Route System (ERS). Although the two-war requirement and other aspects of the National Military Strategy are currently under review by the new Administration, the ERS remains critically important as the primary means of quickly moving U.S. soldiers and equipment to areas of conflict around the world. Because of concerns about the adequacy of U.S. mobility capabilities, the former Chairman of the Subcommittee asked us to assess whether U.S. airlift capabilities and the supporting ERS infrastructure are up to the task of carrying out the National Military Strategy. This report is the third in a series to address the Subcommittees request. The first two reports addressed DOD shortage of airlift and aerial refueling capability needed to meet the two-war requirement of the National Military Strategy. This report addresses (1) whether en-route airfields have the capacity to meet the requirements of the National Military Strategy, (2) what are the causes of any shortfalls and DODs plans to correct them, and (3) whether DOD has the information and management structure needed to ensure that the operations of the En Route System can be carried out efficiently and effectively.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA391212
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office