Ideas and Insights

The estimated current inventory investment by DoD for the organizational level parts employed during the Product Support processes of correct/prevent unplanned weapon system failure is $40 billion. An estimated 35%-50% of this investment is materially excess or obsolete (will never be used). Another issue is that the financial accounting accuracy of these parts would never meet the “smell test” by any private sector auditing firm; people would go to jail for this type of accounting…but that is another story.

GAO has had many studies dealing with the efficiency and effectiveness of the management of parts by the Services; none have been very flattering: Study 1, Study 2, Study 3

DoD accountants are not “bad people;” they do the best with the procedures provided to them. The real issue is that DoD, nor the Federal Government, develops a balance sheet that has any merit; politicians like it that way because accountability for “mistakes” can often be hidden from view…nothing better for a politician than to be opaque!

As more and more parts are COTS, and CLS, coupled with PBL/Outcome-Based Product Support constructs become more common, some of these inventory investment issues will become less glaring.