Inspector General (IG) Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) released a “Management Advisory: Maintenance Concerns for the Army’s Prepositioned Stock–5 Equipment Designated for Ukraine,” which highlights concerns regarding the readiness of Army Prepositioned Stock–5 (APS-5) equipment designated for Ukraine. The Army Prepositioned Stock (APS) program strategically positions sets of equipment, such as combat vehicles and weapon systems, worldwide to reduce deployment response times.
IG Storch stated, "The advisory released today determined that the 401st Army Field Support Battalion–Kuwait did not adequately oversee the maintenance of M1167 High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles and M777 howitzers in the APS-5 inventory. These deficiencies resulted in unanticipated maintenance, repairs, and extended lead times to bring the equipment up to the level where the DoD could issue it to Ukraine.”
While this advisory focuses on the condition of equipment identified for use by Ukrainian Armed Forces, the advisory also provides insights into larger issues with the maintenance of all APS-5 equipment.
To address these issues, the DoD OIG recommended that the Army consider the level of maintenance and lead time required before selecting APS–5 equipment for sourcing Ukrainian Armed Forces requirements. Additionally, we recommend the Army develop and implement increased inspection procedures to ensure the APS–5 contractor has properly corrected known maintenance deficiencies and to visually inspect and correct deficiencies before shipping the equipment.
This advisory is part of a larger oversight project, the “Audit of Army's Management of Army Prepositioned Stock Equipment.”
The advisory was issued as part of the DoD OIG’s effort to be agile in reporting on its oversight over the ongoing assistance to Ukraine and to highlight an issue that the DoD OIG believes warrants prompt attention from the DoD. The DoD OIG will publish an audit report upon completion of the larger project.