Level of Repair Analysis for the Enhancement of Maintenance Resources in Vessel Life Cycle Sustainmen

The United States Coast Guard does not adequately perform a Level of Repair Analysis and Business Case Analysis to align vessel maintenance requirements with available resources during the development of an Integrated Logistics Life Cycle Plan (ILSP) which leads to increased vessel sustainment costs and reduced workforce proficiency. The ILSP's maintenance philosophy dictates the designed supportability and maintainability of a vessel throughout its life cycle yet existing ILSPs fail to prescribe the required balance of Coast Guard (internal employees) and non-Coast Guard (contracted) technicians for the execution of hull, mechanical, and electrical depot maintenance. This research develops a standard model to enhance the balance of maintenance resources using a Business Case Analysis (BCA) extension of a Level of Repair Analysis (LORA) informed by Activity-Based Costing Management (ABC/M) theory. These analyses are integral to a complete Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) and will contain a simplified LORA framework that provides an analysis of alternatives, a decision analysis, and a sensitivity analysis for the development of a maintenance philosophy. This repeatable analysis can be used by engineering managers to develop and sustain cost-effective maintenance plans through all phases of a vessel's life cycle (acquisition, sustainment, and disposal).