The purpose of this document is to
provide acquisition program managers with guidance in developing and
implementing a Corrosion Prevention and Control Program for DoD weapon systems
and infrastructure, and corrosion related technical aspects that should be
addressed for a viable design. This guidance is in accordance with DoD
Corrosion Prevention and Control Policy Letter, signed by Acting USD
(AT&L) and dated Nov 12, 2003 (Appendix A).
The cost of corrosion to the Department
of Defense (DoD) is many billions of dollars annually. Congress has recognized
this and enacted 10. U.S.C. 2228 which places added emphasis in the Department
of Defense management and technical focus on corrosion prevention and control.
DoD Directive 5000.1, The Defense Acquisition System, states that corrosion
prevention control and mitigation will be considered during life-cycle cost
trade-offs. Operational capabilities such as readiness, reliability,
sustainability, safety, etc. are already considered critical for an effective
system and are usually addressed during conceptual design. This is also the
point when the effects of corrosion on these capabilities should be addressed.
Corrosion is a long term issue that usually impacts system operation some time
after the system is procured, but the best time to effectively combat the
effect of corrosion is early in system development. There is a false common
belief that corrosion prevention and mitigation can be reverse engineered into
the system later in the operational life cycle. The fact is that corrosion can
have a significant impact on operational readiness and safety both by itself
and in conjunction with other damage phenomena, and its interactions with
these factors should be considered during the conceptual design phase.
National priorities dictate the need
for much longer service lives for DoD systems. Since history indicates that
the effects of corrosion increase with system age, this amplifies the need to
consider corrosion prevention as a primary design parameter. As a consequence,
the original design should include the best materials and manufacturing
processes. The only way to assure effective, across-the-board response to this
need to prevent or severely reduce corrosion and its effects is to establish a
standard DoD corrosion control philosophy and methodology through which
acquisition program managers can initiate and execute plans and actions that
result in satisfactory materials and
processes.
