Options for Managing the Army’s Arsenals and Ammunition Plants

Publication Date: January 2003

Publisher: RAND Corporation

Author(s): Bruce Held; David M. Oaks; William M. Hix; Edward G. Keating

Research Area: Military and defense

Type: Brief

Abstract:

The U.S. Army retains organic facilities to provide a significant part of its ordnance materiel and ammunition. What should the future hold for these 16 facilities--five of them government-owned, government-operated, the rest government-owned contractor-operated? This briefing looked at four options (in addition to maintaining the status quo): privatization, creating a Federal Government Corporation, consolidation, and recapitalization. After looking at the pros and cons of each, the authors concluded that all four were feasible and that a mixed strategy probably offered the best possibility for achieving the Army’s aims.