Army Logistics: Container Handling Equipment Requirements, Contracts, and Inventory
Abstract
Container handling equipment provides Army commanders with the flexibility they need to respond to rapidly shifting operations by supplying the capability to transport critical cargo. To support a versatile and expandable distribution system, the Army has five types of container handling equipment to carry both containerized and non-containerized (or break bulk ) cargo: flatracks, container roll-in/out platforms (CROPs), container handling units (CHUs), enhanced container handling units (E-CHUs), and container transfer enhancements (CTEs). Flatracks, which can carry both containerized and break bulk cargo, and CROPs, which can carry only break bulk cargo, are structural steel frames. CHUs and E-CHUs attach to the lifting arm of a truck and allow for upload and offload of containers. The CTE is a modification to a trailer which allows the container to roll onto the trailer while being pushed by the CHU/E-CHU. House Report 112-493 mandated GAO to provide a report to the congressional defense committees on the acquisition plan, requirement, and inventory for container handling equipment in the Army, including CROPs, flatracks, E-CHUs, CTEs, and similar equipment in use by the Army.1 Our objectives for this report were to describe (1) how the requirements for container handling equipment have changed since 1998 and when the corresponding contracts were awarded or delivery orders issued and (2) the current and projected inventories of container handling equipment. Enclosure 1 provides a copy of the slides detailing the results of our review that we used in briefing your offices on July 11, 2013.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA583970
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office