Use of sustainability indicators to improve maintenance and repair project prioritization for U.S. Air Force facilities

McNeil, SueThe Department of Defense (DoD) is undertaking an effort to “transform” itself to meet the demands of the 21st century. Currently, the DoD is the single largest energy consumer in the United States, consuming more than 90% of the petroleum used by the Federal Government. This represents not only an economic burden in terms of energy costs, but an increased logistics burden and a drain on manpower which presents a vulnerability to adversaries. Improving installation management and conserving energy have been named top priorities, and DoD subcomponents are tasked to reduce energy consumption and efficiently manage facilities and infrastructure. The United States Air Force (USAF) has begun this transformation by adopting an Asset Management business model. USAF Civil Engineer Squadrons are being reorganized to create Asset Management cross functional teams. Additionally, objective, data driven indicators such as the Mission Dependency Index and the Facility Condition Index will be used to compare projects from different installations based on common criteria, allowing resources to be allocated to better meet corporate needs. This research discusses the scope of the USAF Asset Management program, and explores potential effects of incorporating sustainability to improve efficiency in combat support. This research identifies indicators which can be used to improve the prioritization of facility projects, and provide a systematic approach for incorporating sustainability into USAF maintenance and repair programs.University of Delaware, Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringM.C.E