The Air Force must give higher management priority to reigning in operation and support costs for its weapons systems or those costs will continue to skyrocket, according to a new General Accounting Office report.
"Air Force operating and support costs are growing at about 4 percent per year, even though the total number of aircraft, the number of hours these aircraft are flown, and the number of personnel who fly and maintain them have been declining for years," GAO auditors wrote in the report, "Air Force Operating and Support Costs Reductions Need higher Priority" (NSIAD-00-165).
The Air Force must save as much as $7 billion by 2005 to meet Pentagon goals for reducing weapons support costs.
GAO recommended the Air Force establish operating and support requirements for all tactical and field aircraft, which are the most expensive of the service's weapons to maintain. Additionally, the report said, service leaders should annually report to Congress on their progress in establishing those requirements and meeting cost goals.
Air Force officials said they are already testing pilot programs for tracking total ownership costs for fielded weapons systems. As for systems still being developed, the Air Force said operating and support cost goals are often spelled out in each system's operational requirements document.
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