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1 [1] (December 9, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdczi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: %Fnw C~l rES .rh$e December 9, 2020 Defense Primer: Department of Defense Pre-Positioned Materiel As part of its global posture, the U.S. military maintains war reserve materiel (WRM), stocks of mission-essential secondary items, principal and end items, and munitions, to attain and sustain operational objectives in scenarios authorized by the Department of Defense (DOD). Some of this materiel, designated pre-positioned WRM, or PWRM, is strategically located to facilitate a timely response ... during the initial phase of an operation. PWRM is stored worldwide at or near points of planned use in specialized facilities and dedicated ships. Why does DOD pre,--position mate,-riel? The primary purpose of PWRM is to reduce military response times and ensure timely support of operations in their initial phases until follow-on capabilities are available and supply chains are established. PWRM, airlift, and sealift comprise the three legs of the strategic mobility triad that enables military power projection. Each leg of the triad has its own inherent strengths and weaknesses in speed, capacity, cost, and infrastructure requirements. Pre- positioning materiel reduces the demands for strategic airlift and sealift assets by locating heavy and bulky materiel closer to the theater of operations. Unlike airlift, PWRM is not constrained by the limited capacity of transport aircraft, but it comes with increased infrastructure costs associated with storing and maintaining stocks. Typically, personnel and a limited amount of equipment are transported into a theater, where they draw and prepare PWRM to rapidly resource deploying forces. For example, according to the Congressional Budget Office, during Operation Desert Shield PWRM enabled the delivery of Marine Corps armored units to the Persian Gulf one month before the arrival of other armored units shipped from the United States. Similarly, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, DOD made extensive use of afloat stocks and materiel positioned ashore in the Middle East and Europe to provide deployed forces essential equipment and supplies. PWRM can also be used as a signal of U.S. intentions. Materiel stored overseas can demonstrate commitment to allies and partners or enhance the deterrence of potential adversaries. Additionally, units deploying to a theater for training and exercises may utilize pre-positioned equipment, which allows these forces to practice withdrawing and preparing PWRM for operations. ts Management The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment establishes and maintains a DOD-wide strategic policy for WRM and PWRM. The military departments, combatant commands, defense agencies, and other DOD components are also responsible for issuing component-specific guidance. Combatant Commanders (CCDRs) determine PWRM operational requirements in accordance with strategic guidance; the Joint Staff then reviews and validates these requirements. The military services maintain and administer PWRM to satisfy validated requirements and meet the needs of CCDRs. The services routinely rely upon the Defense Logistics Agency and contractor support to maintain PWRM. Several sections within Title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.) govern PWRM. 10 U.S.C. §2229. Requires the Secretary of Defense to maintain a strategic policy on pre-positioned materiel and to certify annually that current PWRM meet all operations plans, in both fill and readiness. The FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, P.L. 113-66) amended §2229 to require a one-time submission of DOD's plan to implement its strategic policy. * 10 U.S.C. §2229a. Mandates an annual report to Congress, submitted prior to the submission of the President's budget request, on the status of pre- positioned stocks at the end of the last fiscal year. * 10 U.S.C. §229 note. Charges the Secretary of Defense with ensuring that service secretaries have funds to reconstitute pre-positioned stocks in accordance with the requirements under the strategy outlined in §2229. Two appropriations accounts primarily fund PWRM: Procurement, and Operations and Maintenance (O&M). Figure 1 displays requested annual funding levels for pre- positioning in the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) from FY2015 to FY2021. Since FY2017, PWRM has been the largest category of EDI spending. The FY2021 NDAA would authorize the requested $282.1 million to support logistics and prepositioning of equipment as part of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. \\\\'\\ \ \N \ \I \N, \ \\ \ \ Q\\ \\\ \\\