Corrosion Battle

Corrosion in service is a serious handicap for most military operations. It can even be a deadly show stopper (Tri Service Corrosion Conference, January 2002). Notwithstanding the spectacular advances in materials and their protection during the past decades, corrosion still abound and can be linked to a lack of adequate training. In that respect corrosion training is really our first line of defense. The most aggressive weapons can themselves be prey to corrosion aggressiveness. Corrosion creates an enormous burden for the Army. The effects of corrosion impact readiness, reliability, supply, maintenance, and the cost of Army materiel. Recent studies estimate the total cost paid by US department of Defense for corrosion prevention and control is approximately $10 billion per year.

This amount does not include safety, maintenance and readiness costs that are attributed to corrosion. For cargo trucks alone, U.S. Army Tank-automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) found in 1998 that corrosion damage costs $850 per truck per year in replacement parts. The Army of the Pacific spends $3.2 million per year on vehicle corrosion control and prevention. For the M198 howitzer, 41 percent of the combat failures and 39 percent of the total maintenance hours are due to corrosion. (reference 85)

The ability of the DoD to respond rapidly to national security and foreign commitments can be adversely affected by corrosion. Corrosion of military equipment and facilities has been, for many years, a significant and ongoing problem. The corrosion-related problems are becoming more prominent as the acquisition of new equipment is decreasing and the reliability of servicing of aging systems is expected to be large. The data provided by the military services (Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps) indicate that corrosion is potentially the number one cost driver in life cycle costs. The total annual direct cost of corrosion incurred by the military services for both systems and infrastructure was estimated at $20 billion. (reference)

Corrosion Battle

Army Corrosion Summit