Summary

GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) control of aircraft parts at maintenance depots as part of a continuing evaluation of aircraft depot operations.

DOD has spent nearly $4 billion annually on maintenance at aircraft depots to keep aircraft operationally ready. GAO found that, although the services have improved their parts control operations, current problems include: (1) providing good visibility over stored and routed parts; (2) recording transactions to show parts movement; (3) providing more secure storage areas; (4) making greater use of batch processing; and (5) following good management practices. Specifically, GAO suggested that depots: (1) require that a requisition be processed and a backorder be received before a part is routed; (2) require that the lists of components needed to reassemble an aircraft be annotated using requisition or backorder numbers; (3) require management to review selected parts and routed items lists to ensure that employees are following good parts management practices; and (4) improve physical security over parts by increased use of fencing and caged carts.