RELEASE NUMBER: 140313-01
DATE POSTED: MARCH 13, 2014
The USASOAC corrosion symposium; a deeper look
by Staff Sgt. Thaddius S. Dawkins II
United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (USASOC News Service, March 13, 2014) – The United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) used their recent corrosion symposium to discuss the way forward in corrosion control and to build stronger relationships with corrosion subject-matter-experts.
“We saw the symposium as a great effort to expand and continue to build our collaborative relationship with the Army’s corrosion prevention community,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael A. McClenahan, USASOAC G4 sergeant major. “We were able to discuss corrosion prevention training, proper reporting and proper storing of items to reduce the amount of corrosion. All of this should reduce the overall cost associated with equipment sustainment.”
Over the course of the two-day symposium, subject-matter-experts spoke on a variety of topics related to corrosion. Some of the events included a briefing from the Corpus Christie Army Depot (CCAD) commander, Col. Billingsley Pogue, an information brief on the monitoring of class-nine aircraft parts and a walk-through of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR) buildings which showcased some of the steps USASOAC has taken to reduce the risk of corrosion.
“We covered a fairly broad spectrum, especially considering we were limited to a two-day event,” said Timothy L. Morgan, the USASOAC G4’s special projects coordinator for the Aviation Maintenance Sustainment Branch. “By the time you factor in some movement around the facility and lunch, we were really stuffing 13 pounds of sugar into a 10-pound sack.”
“We did a walk-through of our Allison Aquatics Training Facility, where our soldiers train how to egress an aircraft in an overwater ditching situation,” he continued. “The facility is plagued by corrosion due to the chlorinated water and water spray on a daily basis. We were able to highlight our plan to dehumidify the entire facility as well as a tentative plan to provide a clear water rinse system to the entire inside of the building.”
Knowing the attendees had a broad background in corrosion experience, Morgan wanted to ensure they were all aware of the importance of working together to develop a common solution to the problem.
“Our biggest emphasis during the symposium was that this is not SOAR (A) on its own,” Morgan said. “We wanted to encourage dialog and participation across the Army and even other services. Each individual unit doesn’t need to spend its resources individually to accomplish the same goals. We show the most responsibility by all sharing in the endeavor on both an informational and fiscal level.”
According to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) website, corrosion costs the Department of Defense (DoD) 10 to 20 billion dollars every year. The Army is responsible for approximately four billion dollars of those costs.
In an effort to do their part and cut down on additional corrosion costs, USASOAC recently had a cocoon wrap put around a metal-framed pole barn they use for parts storage. The attendees had a chance to walk-through the barn and see how a cost-effective building wrap could help prevent corrosion and save a lot of money in parts down the road.
While attendees were briefed about the effectiveness of the wraps, they were still reminded that even inside a building, all personnel are responsible for taking the necessary precautions to prevent equipment damage.
“The single most important thing Soldiers can do to prevent their equipment from corroding is to be able to identify the problem so that he or she can clean and treat the corroded area and save the Army billions of dollars,” said Master Sgt. Mark B. Baker, the USASAOC G4 Aviation Maintenance Support Branch sergeant major.
“Another important thing a Soldier can do to prevent corrosion is proper storage and handling of the equipment,” McClenahan added. “Ensure that if it’s in containers, the containers are sealed. Monitor those containers to make sure the humidity level is where it’s supposed to be. If it’s outside in the elements, make sure it’s properly covered so that the elements aren’t getting to the container the equipment is in.”
Although corrosion can be reduced with inside storage, humidity control and Soldier knowledge, Carr believes recognizing the problem in all phases is one of the best ways to prevent corrosion.
“We must address corrosion both in the acquisition and sustainment of Army weapon systems,” he said. “We cannot afford the cost and impacts of ignoring corrosion prevention and control. When corrosion wins the mission ends!"