The Surface Ship Maintenance Challenge

Abstract

ABSTRACTCurrent and projected future reductions in fleet maintenance funding are compelling the issue of ship maintenance requirements to be rethought on many different levels within the Navy.The Surface Ship Maintenance Office (SSMO) in the Naval Sea Systems Command has been involved with many different aspects of the problem. Recognizing the two different aspects of the challenge — doing the right things and doing things right — SSMO has been involved with improvements to front‐end maintenance planning: doing the right things. These improvements are being formulated for action on three different levels. The first level involves changes to maintenance management philosophy, dealing with maintenance as a technology subject to systematic processes. The second level involves specific NavSea initiatives to strengthen the technical basis for maintenance requirements. The third level involves actions available to the fleet itself to provide relief.Today's surface ship maintenance funding environment provides both a challenge and an opportunity for improvement. The challenge is to adapt successfully to constrained maintenance resources; the opportunity is to pioneer new approaches to make this possible and establish the precedent for years to come. The groundwork necessary has been laid and work to meet the challenge has begun.