CORRECTIVE  MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT Corrective   maintenance   consists   of   two   basic categories, fault isolation and corrective action. The SERT is responsible for directing fault isolation at the combat system level, managing corrective maintenance at  all  combat  subsystem  levels,  and  coordinating corrective  maintenance  in  related  support  subsystems. The SERT responsibility for corrective maintenance also includes coordinating fault isolation efforts and evaluating  the  impact  of  faults  to  determine  the  priority of each corrective maintenance requirement. Another responsibility  includes  follow-up  action  of  verification or  retesting,  and  complete  shipboard  and  maintenance data collection subsystem reporting. Effective corrective maintenance management first requires the consideration of combat system readiness, then efficient use of manpower. These factors closely relate  to  the  ship’s  employment  and  the  tactical environment. There will be times when more corrective maintenance   requirements   exist   than   can   be simultaneously handled by the available manpower. In addition, sometimes parallel faults exist that require the same  personnel  or  the  same  system  setup  for  fault isolation. When these conditions occur the setting of repair priorities is based on management’s requirements for  readiness  and  manpower  available  to  make  the repairs. As the SERT collects and evaluates PMS results, it  should  continually  base  its  recommendations  for correcting faults on the tactical situation, complexity of fault isolation, and available manpower. Some faults may  be  designated  for  correction;  others  may  be deferred. However, faults that are deferred, if left to accumulate,  tend  to  degrade  overall  system  readiness. Therefore, as soon as the situation permits, deferred faults  should  be  repaired. Faults detected within the combat system must be isolated to a subunit that can be replaced or repaired or to  an  alignment  that  can  be  made  before  actual corrective action can be taken. This requires technicians to have a thorough knowledge of the system and access to  complete  system  and  equipment  documentation. Most   subsystem   and   equipment   maintenance publications provide fault isolation support in one or two formats.  The  first  format  consists  of  symptoms presented  in  preselected,  logical  steps  and  in  reference tables, a logic chart, or logic diagram format. The second format consists of flow diagrams and relay ladders. The CSTOM  provides  amplifying  information  on  fault isolation. After a repair priority has been set and the faults isolated, the managers of corrective maintenance must ensure corrective action is taken, verification is made by retest, and required reports are completed. Since some faults  tend  to  be  repetitive,  the  SERT  should  keep records  of  fault  symptoms,  identification,  and  corrective measures. MONITORING  OPERATIONAL  READINESS Since overall readiness assurance is a function of operational   readiness   (personnel   proficiency)   and materiel  readiness,  the  SERT  responsibility  for operational  training  is  very  important.  The  goal  of operational readiness is to achieve maximum combat system capability for each mission under constant] y changing   conditions   of   materiel   readiness.   The measurement of personnel readiness is based on the three  following  techniques: 1. The use of PMS tests 2. The use of simulators or computer programs 3. The monitoring of ship or fleet exercises In  each  case,  the  hardware  must  be  operating properly.  Otherwise,  the  capabilities  of  the  personnel cannot  be  determined  accurately. The  video  signal  simulator  with  computer  programs provides  a  means  to  assess  the  skill  of  the  console operator.  However,  the  computer  programs  are  limited in assessing the capabilities of combat system operators. One way to evaluate the capability of all combat system personnel is to actually monitor ship or fleet exercises  (described  in  COMTAC  publications  FXP-1, -2, and -3). These exercises include: Electronic  warfare  exercises Gunnery exercises (anti air [AA], surface, and shore) Missile  exercises  (AA  and  surface) CIC exercises (aircraft, tracking and control) Antiship  cruise  missile  exercises ASW exercises When  the  SERT  finds  personnel  deficiencies,  it must provide operational training and guidance. Since the SERT has the knowledge and training capability, it is uniquely qualified to assist the ship’s training officer in  identifying  the  topics  and  content  of  necessary training for both officers and enlisted personnel. 4-17