Defense Logistics Better Management And Oversight Of Prepositioning Programs Needed To Reduce Risk And Improved Future Programs Report To The Subcommittee On Readiness Committee On Armed Services House Of Representatives PDF Download

With fewer troops permanently stationed overseas, prepositioned stocks of equipment and supplies have become an integral part of the Department of Defense's DoD ability to project forces into conflict areas faster. The importance of prepositioned stocks to the U.S. military was highlighted during recent operations in Iraq. The military used equipment and supplies stored at land sites in the region and offloaded mush of the stocks from its prepositioning ships. Perhaps more importantly, the availability of the sites gave the United States the facilities it needed to assemble forces for combat. Recognizing the importance of the department's prepositioning programs, Congress has made significant investments in these programs. In recent years, the services have collectively used over $1 billion each year to operate and maintain their prepositioning programs; by fiscal year 2005 this amount had declined to about $724 million, since a large portion of these stocks were used to support military operations in Iraq. However, billions of dollars in future investments will be needed to recapitalize equipment and develop future programs. The recently published National Defense Strategy indicates that prepositioning will continue to be an important aspect of DoD's defense posture in the future. The strategy establishes several goals for the future of these programs, including the need for the programs to be more flexible and increasingly joint in character.