Maintenance issues have caused operational delays for amphibious ships like USS Somerset , pictured here shortly before its commissioning in Philadelphia in 2014. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
The US Navy (USN) is shifting its priorities for parts availabilities to help finish maintenance projects on time more efficiently and bolster its fleet, according to Admiral Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations (CNO).
“We always have this just-in-time approach for materiel but now it's a just-in-case approach,” Adm Franchetti said on 3 December at the Center for Maritime Strategy forum, America's Future Fleet: Reinvigorating the Maritime Industrial Base.
“We've locked in planning our availabilities at the date minus 120 days to make sure everybody can plan for the availability,” Adm Franchetti said.
“We've actually invested in a lot of rotatable pool spare parts so we don't have to do so many cannibalisations and we can actually have the parts and materiel,” she noted. “We've got to have it on hand. We've got to have all the materials to be able to start the job. We want everything ahead of time.”
The USN needs to keep maintenance schedules on time to make sure it has the fleet it needs to face the naval forces of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, according to the CNO.
“The PRC and Russia are on a wartime footing today,” she said, adding, “To preserve our advantage, we should be too. We need industry to build capability and capacity now so we can surge effectively before and during any war because if deterrence fails there won't be time to catch up.”
She cited maintenance changes now to ensure meet those surge needs.
Perform to plan
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