Amanda Geller

Examines the development and recent implementation of maintenance forward support locations, also known as Centralized Intermediate Repair Facilities. This study examines a reconfiguration of the current U. S. Air Force support system that would implement maintenance forward support locations to consolidate intermediate maintenance near the theater of operations. Such locations are known as Centralized Intermediate Repair Facilities, or CIRFs. The report recommends that the Air Force explore the use of CIRFs outside of the United States as wel as within, establish an Operational Support Center at each Major Cornmand, and centralize OownershipO of engines and pods.

An assessment of the manner in which Jet Engine Intermediate Maintenance shops can best be configured to support Expeditionary Aerospace Forces both in peacetime and in war. In recent years, the United States Air Force has found it necessary to perform a number of overseas deployments, many on short notice, in support of a wide range of crises. Toward this goal, the Air Force has begun to reorganize itself into an Expeditionary Aerospace Force that can quickly deploy from the continental United States to appropriate forward operating locations worldwide. This report evaluates the manner in which Jet Engine Intermediate Maintenance (JEIM) shops can best be configured to facilitate such deployments. The authors examine a number of JEIM support options, which are distinguished primarily by the degree to which JEIM support is centralized or decentralized. They then assess the performance of each option for three jet engines: the F100-220, the F100-229, and the TF-34. The report concludes that for the F100-220 and F100-229, the most viable options involve establishing a single JEIM in theater during war. For the TF-34, it is recommended either that the above option be exercised or that a single, centralized JEIM be established in the continental United States. [AF]