https://crsreports.congress.gov
November 26, 2021
Defense Primer: Department of Defense Pre-Positioned Materiel
As part of its global posture, the U.S. military maintains
war reserve materiel (WRM), which are stocks of essential
items and munitions that, according to the Department of
Defense (DOD), are sufficient to attain and sustain
operational objectives in DOD plans. Some of this materiel,
DOD states is designated pre-positioned WRM (or
PWRM), which is “strategically located to facilitate a
timely response during the initial phase of an operation.”
PWRM is stored worldwide at or near points of planned use
in specialized facilities (i.e., ashore) and dedicated ships
(i.e., afloat).
Why does DOD pre-position materiel?
The primary purpose of PWRM is to reduce military
response times and ensure timely support of operations in
their initial phases, until follow-on capabilities are available
and supply chains are established. PWRM, airlift, and
sealift comprise the three legs of the strategic mobility triad
that enables military power projection. Pre-positioning
materiel reduces the demands for strategic airlift and sealift
assets by locating heavy and bulky materiel closer to the
theater of operations. Unlike airlift and sealift, PWRM is
not constrained by lift capacity, but comes with increased
infrastructure costs associated with storing and maintaining
stocks. Typically, personnel and a limited amount of
equipment are transported into a theater, where they draw
and prepare PWRM to rapidly resource deploying forces.
For example, in 1990-1991 during Operation Desert Shield,
PWRM enabled the delivery of Marine Corps armored units
to the Persian Gulf one month before the arrival of other
armored units shipped from the United States, according to
the Congressional Budget Office. Similarly, in 2003 during
Operation Iraqi Freedom, DOD made extensive use of
stocks and materiel ashore and afloat in the Middle East and
Europe, to provide deployed forces essential equipment and
supplies.
PWRM may be used to signal U.S. intentions. Materiel
stored overseas may demonstrate commitment to allies and
partners or enhance the deterrence of potential adversaries.
Responsibilities and Management
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and
Sustainment establishes and maintains a DOD-wide
strategic policy for WRM and PWRM. The military
departments, combatant commands, defense agencies, and
other DOD components are also responsible for issuing
component-specific guidance. Combatant Commanders
(CCDRs) determine PWRM operational requirements in
accordance with strategic guidance; the Joint Staff then
reviews and validates these requirements. Each military
service (hereafter “service”) maintains and administers
PWRM to satisfy such requirements and meet the needs of
CCDRs. The services rely upon the Defense Logistics
Agency and contractor support to maintain PWRM.
Several sections of Title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.)
govern PWRM, including the following:
10 U.S.C. §2229. Requires the Secretary of Defense to
maintain a strategic policy on pre-positioned materiel
and to certify annually that current PWRM “meet all
operations plans, in both fill and readiness.” The
FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA,
P.L. 113-66) amended §2229 to require a one-time
submission of DOD’s plan to implement its strategic
policy.
10 U.S.C. §2229a. Mandates an annual report to
Congress, submitted prior to the submission of the
President’s budget request, on the status of pre-
positioned stocks at the end of the last fiscal year.
10 U.S.C. §229 note. Charges the Secretary of Defense
with ensuring that service secretaries have funds to
reconstitute pre-positioned stocks in accordance with the
requirements under the strategy outlined in §2229.
Funding
Two defense appropriations titles primarily fund PWRM:
Procurement and Operations and Maintenance (O&M). For
example, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act,
2021 (Division C of P.L. 116-260) provided $324 million
within the Operation and Maintenance, Army account for
Army prepositioned stocks. For FY2022, DOD requested
$381 million for PWRM within the Operation and
Maintenance, Army account. Funding amounts for the other
services’ PWRM are typically included within the
Mobilization budget activity within annual O&M
appropriations. Additionally, PWRM resources for the
Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force are included annually
as part of the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI), an
effort to reassure U.S. allies in Europe in the wake of
Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea region. Since
FY2017, PWRM has been the single largest funding
category within EDI, averaging $2.3 billion over five years.
For FY2022, DOD has requested $1.2 billion for EDI
PWRM.
Selected PWRM Programs
Army Pre-Positioned Stocks (APS)
The Army considers APS materiel “a cornerstone of the
Army’s ability to rapidly project power.” Army Materiel
Command (AMC) manages APS, while Army Sustainment
Command and other AMC subordinate commands maintain
the stocks through regional Army Field Support Brigades
and Battalions (See Figure 1). APS contain several
categories of materiel:
