GAO critical of Air Mobility Command’s cargo capacity measures
A congressional watchdog agency report said the U.S. Defense Department’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) does not know how to accurately collect and analyze information about cargo payloads of its planes.
The GAO report said it was not able to determine whether these payloads indicate efficient use of military plane cargo capacity.
“Without adequate information about operational variables and how these impact mission payloads, AMC officials do not know the extent to which opportunities exist to use aircraft more efficiently and whether operational tempo, cost and wear and tear on aircraft could be reduced,” the GAO report said.
From the information available, GAO found that more than 97 percent of C-5 missions and more than 81 percent of C-17 missions carried payloads below Defense Department’s payload planning factors.
According to the GAO report, from September 2001 to April 2005, the Defense Department has spent about $9.5 billion on airlift to transport equipment, supplies, and troops for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.