www.crs.gov | 7-5700
November 7, 2017
Defense Primer: Department of Defense Maintenance Depots
Section 2464 of Title 10, United States Code states that it is
“essential for the national defense that the Department of
Defense maintain a core logistics capability that is
government-owned and government-operated...to ensure a
ready and controlled source of technical competence and
resources necessary to ensure effective and timely response
to a mobilization, national defense contingency situations,
and other emergency requirements.” Accordingly, all
military departments own and operate organic industrial
facilities to maintain, repair and overhaul equipment. These
facilities are collectively referred to as the organic industrial
base (OIB).
The OIB consists of depots and shipyards that perform
depot-level maintenance and repair. Outside of the depot
system, the Army operates 17 arsenals and ammunition
plants whose primary role is to manufacture and store
ammunition while the Air Force and Navy utilize 16
Centers for weapon system support. These Centers (6 Air
Force and 10 Navy) are responsible for related research,
development, test and evaluation (RDT&E), acquisitions
and sustainment activities.
What is Depot Maintenance?
Section 2460 of Title 10, United States Code, defines
depot-level maintenance and repair as “material
maintenance or repair requiring the overhaul, upgrading, or
rebuilding of parts, assemblies, or subassemblies, and the
testing and reclamation of equipment as necessary,
regardless of the source of funds for the maintenance or
repair or the location at which the maintenance or
repair is performed [emphasis added by CRS].”
The definition includes “(1) all aspects of software
maintenance classified by the Department of Defense as of
July 1, 1995, as depot-level maintenance and repair, and (2)
interim contractor support or contractor logistics support (or
any similar contractor support), to the extent that such
support is for the performance of services described in the
preceding sentence.”
Section 2460 specifically excludes certain activities such as
“the procurement of major modifications or upgrades of
weapon systems that are designed to improve program
performance” and nuclear refueling of aircraft carriers.
Additionally, the procurement of parts for safety
modifications is not considered a depot-level task, but the
installation of those parts is.
How does the Organic Industrial Base
support readiness?
DOD depots and shipyards perform complete overhauls on
weapon systems and repair many individual components
within each weapon system. Many of the depots and
shipyards also have the ability to send repair teams to
operating locations to perform on-site technical assistance
or in-depth repairs. DOD’s OIB also serves as a repository
for technical data, unique tooling, test equipment, and
design capability required to repair individual components
and weapon systems.
Organization of the DOD Industrial Base
Each military service includes command structures with
responsibility for providing logistics and maintenance
support to the majority of the military equipment within the
service’s control. There are currently 17 DOD facilities
whose primary responsibility is to conduct depot-level
maintenance (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. DOD Depot Maintenance Facilities
Source: GAO-17-82R
Army
Army Materiel Command (AMC), headquartered at
Redstone Arsenal, AL, develops and delivers materiel
support to maintain combat equipment. AMC operates five
depots, each of which is generally responsible for specific
systems:
Anniston Army Depot, AL: Combat vehicles, small
caliber weapons, artillery, and rail operations.
Corpus Christi Army Depot, TX: Rotary wing
aircraft.
Letterkenny Army Depot, PA: Air defense and
tactical missile systems.
Red River Army Depot, TX: Combat and tactical
wheeled vehicles.
Tobyhanna Army Depot, PA: Electronic systems.
Air Force
Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), headquartered at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, conducts research,
development, test and evaluation while also providing
acquisition management and logistics support. Under
AFMC’s leadership, the Air Force Sustainment Center
(AFSC), located at Tinker Air Force Base, OK, directs the
