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2008 Defense Authorization Enhances Corrosion Control Within DoD

By Cynthia Greenwood

When President Bush signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008 on January 24, 2008, he modified a federal statute that codifies and enhances DoD’s broad-sweeping corrosion prevention efforts.

Under the modified statute, known as the United States Code, title 10, section 2228, key functions within the Pentagon-based Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight were changed.

"Now that the DoD Corrosion Office falls under the President’s yearly budget authorization, the office can run more smoothly."

Notably, the new law eliminates the DoD Corrosion Executive and creates a Director of Corrosion Policy and Oversight who will report directly to John J. Young, Jr., the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (A,T,&L). The statute also ensures that the new Director shall be part of the critical DoD acquisition workforce, as well as a career DoD civilian. Further, the law also mandates that many initiatives within the DoD Corrosion Strategic Plan be carried out.

Beginning with the fiscal year 2009, the budget of the Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight will be subject to report and funding requirements that are routinely presented to the Congressional defense committees, related to corrosion prevention and control. "The Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall also audit the DoDís corrosion prevention funding within the President’s annual budget," said Daniel J. Dunmire, who currently heads the Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight.

"Now that the DoD Corrosion Office falls under the President’s yearly budget authorization, the office can run more smoothly," Dunmire said. "We had a difficult time managing our day-to-day operations before this bill became law."

Currently the DoD Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight is responsible for the following activities:

Preparing a Cost of Corrosion Baseline Study
Enhancing industryís introduction of new products before they are qualified for use by the military Services
Tracking all funded corrosion projects and activities
Supporting strategic plan initiatives by the DoD corrosion prevention community, known as the Corrosion Prevention Integrated Product Team
Projecting and tracking the return on investment of projects completed by the Services
Supporting a new DoD instruction to hold the Services responsible for corrosion prevention during acquisition of new military and infrastructure and throughout the life cycle of DoD assets
Corrosion certification training
Preparing congressional reports

It is likely that Mr. Young will hire the new Director from among DoD civilian employees who have the following qualifications:

Someone who has experience managing corrosion project and policy implementation;
Someone who understands how corrosion policies affect military infrastructure, research, development, testing, evaluation, and maintenance;
Someone who understands how to formulate and execute DoD budgets, formulate policy and requirements for corrosion planning and programs

Dunmire will recommend that Mr. Young consider adjusting the position description of the current Special Assistant of the Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight to suit the job of Director. "The GAO and Congress like the current way in which the corrosion challenges are being managed," he explained.

In all likelihood, the Director of the Corrosion Office will be charged with developing and coordinating corrosion training with the Defense Acquisition University. He or she will be responsible for developing directives and instructions. Most important, the new position requires someone who can interact closely with the corrosion prevention industry personnel and government agencies, trade associations, academic research and educational institutions, and scientific groups who work to prevent corrosion, such as the National Academy of Sciences.