Tying Resource Decisions to Readiness Outcomes

IDA’s sustainment group supports improved resource decisions to ensure that key U.S. weapon systems are ready to perform their missions. We do this by identifying barriers to military readiness and by drawing a direct link between resource decisions and readiness outcomes. Our approach emphasizes obtaining and integrating authoritative data from across the military departments to build an unequaled view of the sustainment system. This view allows us to study the interconnected nature of operations, logistics, maintenance, personnel and supply processes throughout a system’s life cycle. By tying discrete actions — such as buying specific spares, investing in reliability growth and changing maintenance concepts — to changes in overall readiness, we help our sponsors in the Department of Defense (DOD) identify optimal courses of action and justify their decisions to senior DOD leadership.