Improving the Allocation and Execution of Army Facility Sustainment Funding

In recent years, the Army has been willing to accept risk in installation facility sustainment to maintain warfighting readiness. However, underfunding of facility sustainment can result in higher life-cycle costs because it increases the likelihood that facility components will break down or fail prematurely. To identify strategies for improving the Army's allocation and execution of installation facility sustainment funding, the authors conducted interviews with installation Directorate of Public Works (DPW) staff and subject-matter experts in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Army Corps of Engineers, along with a literature review of facility sustainment practices in the military Services, other public-sector organizations, and the private sector. The authors recommend that the Army allow installations more flexibility on DPW staffing within existing budgets, improve or supplement the real property and facility sustainment functions in the General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS), fund the implementation of BUILDER-a DoD-mandated Sustainment Management System (SMS)-and use it to develop longer-range models that show the effects of deferred maintenance on life-cycle costs, and develop a Mission Dependency Index (MDI) to prioritize sustainment projects and create linkages with installation readiness. At the installation level, DPW staff should implement innovative practices that have been successful at other installations; increase efforts to identify alternative sources of funding for sustainment projects, such as tenant mission funding and by leveraging community partnerships; and identify opportunities for active and reserve component units to perform projects as part of their training.