they develop into costly repairs. The CESE maintenance system of the NCF is predicated on three categories or levels of maintenance as prescribed in NAVFAC P-300 and CONSECONDNCB/ COMTHIRDNCBINST 11200.1. These three levels are as follows: ORGANIZATIONAL, INTER- MEDIATE, and DEPOT. The category of repairs performed are determined by the nature of the repair; level of repair parts, support, tools, equipment and time available; personnel capabilities; and the tactical situation. An activity's range of repair parts support is keyed to the authorized level of maintenance.

Organizational Maintenance

Organizational maintenance is the responsibility of and performed by the equipment operator; scheduled preventive maintenance services are performed by trained personnel. Operational maintenance consists of proper equipment operation, safety and serviceability inspections, lubrication, and minor adjustments and services. Organizational maintenance is divided into operator maintenance and preventive maintenance as specified below.

1. Operator Maintenance. Each operator is required to perform work needed. to maintain their vehicle in a clean, safe, and serviceable condition. This includes the daily inspections before, during, and after operation. It also includes periodic lubrication and adjustments recommended by the equipment manufacturer. Operator maintenance is performed to ensure early detection of deficiencies.

2. Preventive Maintenance. Preventive maintenance (PM) is scheduled for the purpose of maximizing equipment availability and minimizing repair costs. PM consists of safety and mechanical inspections, fluid and filter changes, lubrication, and services and adjustments beyond an operator's responsibility. Operators assist with the work unless directed otherwise.

Intermediate Maintenance

Intermediate maintenance is the responsibility of and performed by a designated maintenance shop. The extent of intermediate maintenance encompasses the removal, replacement, repair, alteration, calibration, modification, and the rebuilding and overhauling of individual components, assemblies, and subassemblies. Although the rebuilding and overhauling of major assemblies are included, only essential repairs must be accomplished to ensure safe and serviceable equipment. Intermediate maintenance requires a higher degree of skill than organizational maintenance. There is a larger assortment of repair parts, more precision tools, and other types of test equipment involved.

Equipment that requires extensive repairs or numerous assembly rebuilds must NOT be repaired without prior approval of higher authority. Field units must request authority from COMSECONDNCB Equipment Det, Gulfport, Mississippi, or COMTHIRDNCB Equipment Det, Port Hueneme, California, before purchasing component parts in excess of ,500.

Depot Maintenance

Depot maintenance is performed on equipment requiring major overhaul or comprehensive restoration to return an item of equipment to a "like-new" condition. Depot level maintenance uses production line and assembly line methods whenever practical.

At this point, you should only be concerned with organizational and intermediate maintenance. Most depot maintenance is performed by overhaul facilities located at Port Hueneme, California, and Gulfport, Mississippi.

MAINTENANCE SCHEDULING

The only type of maintenance that can be performed on a regular basis is preventive maintenance. A dynamic PM program reduces equipment downtime and prevents unexpected equipment failure. PM scheduling provides a balanced shop work load, thus reducing the size of the work force required. Once the PM schedule of an activity has been established, only the maintenance supervisor can authorize deviations. The PM scheduling system used in the NCF is the only system discussed here. The standard interval between PMs is 40 working days.

PM Groups

PM groups are scheduling units into which all of the equipment of an activity is distributed evenly. Each item of CESE must be assigned to at least one PM group. The equipment should be distributed evenly throughout the 40 PM groups, so only a minimum number of similar pieces of equipment are out of service at any one time. The normal grouping works like this: If there are ten dump trucks within the inventory, one should be assigned to every fourth PM group; if there are four water distributors, assign one to every tenth PM