4.3.18.7. Demilitarization and Disposal
4.3.18.7. Demilitarization and Disposal
The incorporation of demilitarization (DEMIL) and disposal requirements into the initial system design is critical to ensure compliance with:
- All DoD DEMIL and disposal policies.
- All legal and regulatory requirements and policies relating to safety (including explosive safety), security, and the environment.
Program Managers and Program Support Managers should ensure, as an essential part of systems engineering, that DEMIL and disposal requirements are incorporated in system design to minimize DoD’s liabilities, reduce costs, and protect critical program information and technology. This includes integrating DEMIL and disposal into the allocated baseline approved at the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and refining DEMIL and disposal requirements in the initial product baseline at the Critical Design Review (CDR). DEMIL and disposal requirements are included in the program’s Systems Engineering Plan (SEP), the Life-Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP), and the contract(s). For munitions programs, DEMIL and disposal documentation need to be in place before the start of Developmental Test and Evaluation.
DEMIL renders safe and eliminates functional capabilities and inherent military design features from both serviceable and unserviceable DoD materiel. It is the act of destroying the military offensive or defensive advantages inherent in certain types of equipment or material. DEMIL may include mutilation, scrapping, melting, burning or alteration designed to prevent the further use of this equipment and material for its originally intended military or lethal purpose. Systems Engineers integrate DEMIL considerations into system design to recover critical materials and protect assets, information, and technologies, from uncontrolled or unwanted release and disruption or reverse engineering. Program Managers should ensure the DEMIL of materiel is accomplished in accordance with DoDI 4160.28, DoD Demilitarization (DEMIL) Program.
Disposal is the process of reusing, transferring, donating, selling, destroying, or other ultimate disposal of excess surplus and foreign excess property. Disposal first ensures adequate screening is accomplished to satisfy that all valid DoD and other United States Government agency needs are met. After assurances that Government needs for surplus DoD property are met, the materiel disposition process:
- Permits authorized transfer or donation to Government or non-Government entities
- Obligates DoD to obtain the best available monetary return to the Government for property sold
Program Managers ensure disposal is accomplished in accordance with DoD 4140.1-R, Supply Chain Materiel Management Regulation and DoD 4160.21-M, Defense Materiel Disposition Manual.
The program’s plan for demilitarization and disposal of DoD excess and surplus property protects the environment and personnel and minimizes the need for abandonment or destruction. During systems design, the Systems Engineer supports the Program Manager’s plans for the system’s demilitarization and disposal, through the identification and documentation of hazards and hazardous materials related to the system, using MIL-STD-882E, DoD Standard Practice for System Safety. Early, balanced analyses of ESOH hazards relative to the system’s design, enable the Program Manager to make informed decisions based on alternatives and provide a clear understanding of trade-offs and consequences, both near term and over the systems life cycle.
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