The objective of corrosion control with protective coatings is to extend or maximize the useful service life of the assets being coated.   The intent of this paper is to stress the economical impact and the importance of how a clear understanding of a  corrosion problem can allow the proper, selection of materials, development of clear and practical specification tailored to the to the asset’s configuration  and meet the operational environment.
An industry report to congress indicates that the estimated direct cost of corrosion due to coating failures is approximately $487 billion per year. This expense can be contributed to many factors, but principally to the following:
·         Surface preparation
·         Coating application
·         Coating cure
·         Incorrect Material selection
·         Poor Specification
·         Coating formulation
 These factors can be easily addressed with a clear understanding of service exposure, desired service life and budget.  With this information, a coating system specification can be developed for a corrosion protection system that would provide protection throughout the useful service life of the asset being coated with minimal maintenance. Some of the necessary factors to properly develop a good coating system are:
·         Corrosion mechanisms
·         Historical data
·         Service exposure
·         Materials and Processes
·         Design
·         Quality assurance
·         Reliability, maintainability and supportability
A successful coating system design and specification can only be achieved by drawing upon a team of Coating experts, Corrosion engineers, equipment designers, equipment operators, and application contractors in line with the DOD philosophy and culture of effective corrosion problem solving capabilities based on proven technologies.
A report to Congress indicates that 25 to 35% of corrosion costs are avoidable; these costs can be minimized simply by adopting a disciplined technical approach utilizing sound corrosion engineering practices to mitigate corrosion issues with coating systems.