USMC Corrosion Prevention and Control (CPAC) Support of Acquisition - A Review of Support to Recent Programs, Including MRAP

The US Marine Corps (USMC) Corrosion Prevention and Control (CPAC) Program supports corrosion control throughout the service life of ground weapon systems.  One of the major focus areas is during the acquisition of new or replacement vehicles, where corrosion control technologies can be readily and most cost-effectively inserted into system design and manufacturing.  Currently CPAC is part of most major ground system acquisition programs providing subject matter expertise on corrosion control requirements, evaluation manufacturer's corrosion control design and full-scale vehicle testing to verify manufacturer claims.  As part of this process CPAC works closely with the system Program Managers (PMs) as well as the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure the optimum corrosion control technologies are incorporated into the final vehicle.  Today CPAC is supporting the acquisition programs for the G/ATOR, JLTV, LVSR and MRAP weapon systems.  This paper will discuss how CPAC is working with the PMs for these weapon systems, the challenges faced with incorporating corrosion control design considerations into these systems and how these systems will benefit from the consideration of corrosion during their acquisition.