Analysis of the Air Force Logistics Enterprise: Evaluation of Global Repair Network Options for Supporting the C-130

Since the advent of the Expeditionary Air and Space Force concept in the 1990s, the Air Force has undergone numerous transformational processes and initiatives. Many of the initiatives have been local and the changes incremental. The independent effect of each incremental change is likely positive, but it is unknown whether the combined effects, viewed from a systems perspective, align with senior leaders desired future direction for the Air Force. In 2007, senior Air Force logisticians asked RAND Project AIR FORCE to undertake a strategic reassessment of the Air Force s logistics enterprise to support the Air Force s efforts to realign the enterprise with the realities of the national security environment. A key part of this analysis was to identify alternatives for appropriately rebalancing logistics resources and capabilities between operating units and support network nodes across the total force. The logistics enterprise analysis has four major objectives. The first is evaluating Department of Defense planning guidance to determine projected logistics system workloads. The second is structurally reviewing scheduled and unscheduled maintenance workloads that may be rebalanced between operating units and support networks. The third is strategically reevaluating the objectives and roles of contract as opposed to organic support in the logistics enterprise. The fourth is performing a top-down review of the management of the logistics transformation initiatives to ensure their integrated alignment with broader logistics objectives. This report primarily focuses on the first two project objectives, in the context of the Air Force fleet of C-130s, including all Air Force standard C-130Es, C-130Hs, C-130Js, and all Air Force specialty variants including, among others, AC-130s, EC-130s, HC-130s, and MC-130s.1