A Case Study into the Marine Corps Efforts to Improve Collapsible Fabric Tanks

Abstract

This case study examines Marine Corps efforts to improve Collapsible Fabric Tanks (CFT) by updating the Department of Defense performance specification (MIL-PRF-32233). Instigated by a dramatic rise in manufacturing defects experienced by Marine Corps Bulk Fuel units detailing CFT failures, in 2019 MARCORSYSCOM assessed existing CFTs from their inventory against military specifications. The results showed that the fuel tanks did not meet the minimum industry standards. Budget limitations forced units to use substandard CFTs currently in inventory, MARCORSYSCOM conducted the first study with an end goal of procuring improved CFTs from commercially available products. As part of the initial study, 9 different CFTs manufactured from US and foreign vendors were evaluated and ranked. Top performers resided outside of the US, but this presented an additional challenge in the form of the Barry Amendment, which prohibits the procurement of fabrics and textiles from foreign vendors. A secondary study was approved in 2023 that will further research the different characteristics shared by best performing CFTs from the first study. The results will be used to update the MIL-PRF, incentivizing US manufacturers to produce improved CFTs that meet these new standards and are sustainable. This paper explores the efficacy of this acquisition strategy and questions how it can serve as a model for other projects faced with the compounded imitations of policy and budget.