Summary: The Air Force watercraft inventory, valued at $31 million, includes 14 types of watercraft at 24 locations worldwide, ranging from a 20-foot personnel boat to dredges, barges, and a 310-foot tanker. The watercraft support such missions as resupply operations, sea survival training, and rescue and recovery training. The Directorate of Transportation at Air Force headquarters has the responsibility for establishing basic management policies, major commands have the various oversight functions, and the San Antonio Air Logistics Center is responsible for managing logistics and depot-level maintenance functions.
A GAO study of the Air Force Watercraft Program showed that increased management attention is needed over program operations. Specifically, the study revealed that the headquarters responsible for overall program management was providing insufficient guidance and control; major commands were not carrying out their oversight responsibilities; and the logistics center for watercraft was inadequately monitoring the inventory and maintenance functions.
