Army Depot Maintenance: Information on Workload, Workforce, and Challenges

What GAO Found

The Anniston and Red River Army Depots, among other things, perform maintenance and repairs on ground vehicles, including vehicles such as tanks, personnel carriers, and self-propelled artillery systems; trucks for hauling fuel and supplies; and light armored vehicles for transporting personnel and cargo. The maintenance and repairs performed at both depots include overhauls, major repairs, repairable parts, and other depot work.

The annual total workload at Anniston Army Depot varied and slightly declined overall when comparing FY 2021 to FY 2025. The depot workload at Red River Army Depot generally trended up when comparing FY 2021 to FY 2025. The largest share of the workload at both depots involved repairing parts to be reused on ground vehicles.

Total Workload in Dollars Spent Per Year, FY 2021-2025

Note: This figure includes work for Army customers, foreign militaries, and other Department of Defense and federal entities.

Overall, the size of both depots’ workforce decreased when comparing FY 2021 to FY 2025. The permanent and term-limited workforce at both depots decreased while the contractor workforce at both depots increased. The increases in contractor personnel tempered the losses in permanent and term-limited staff.

Maintenance challenges faced by depot maintainers at both depots included the condition of vehicles upon arrival at the depot, the availability of parts and current technical data, workload planning, and old maintenance equipment.

Why GAO Did This Study

The Army spent more than $7.1 billion operating its Anniston and Red River Depots from fiscal year (FY) 2021 through FY 2025. The Army spent most spent of this money maintaining and repairing ground vehicles.

House Report 119-231 (2025) accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 includes a provision for GAO to review the work performed at Army depots that primarily maintain and repair ground vehicles. This report provides information for Anniston and Red River Army Depots on how the ground vehicle-related workload and workforce has changed from FY 2021 through FY 2025, how the type of work has changed during this period, and challenges these depots face performing maintenance and repairs on ground vehicles.

We collected and analyzed Anniston and Red River Depots’ workload data in terms of the numbers of overhauls, major repair work, repairable parts, and other work performed at the depots for FY 2021 through FY 2025. We also collected and analyzed cost data and type and amounts of work to examine trends in depot workload. We also collected and analyzed the depots’ personnel rosters for FY 2021 through FY 2025 including data about total employees and their occupations.

GAO interviewed officials from Army Materiel Command; Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command Organic Industrial Base and Integrated Logistics Support Center; and both depots. GAO also visited both depots and met with division, branch, and line supervisors about challenges the depots face performing maintenance and repairs on ground vehicles.

For more information, contact Diana Maurer at maurerd@gao.gov.