Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology Paul Kaminski signed
today the implementation document for National Aerospace Standard (NAS) 411 in
Palmdale, California.
"This standard will help DoD better protect the environment, save taxpayer
dollars and ensure the best performance of our weapons and the readiness of our
troops." said Kaminski.
NAS 411 is the commercial standard for contractors to reduce or eliminate
hazardous material in all phases of a weapon system's life cycle. NAS 411
provides a flexible process for managing hazardous materials in the acquisition
and life cycle of a weapon system. The standard will help reduce hazardous
materials usage and the generation of pollutants, not only during the
manufacturing stage, but also during the operations and maintenance, of a
typical weapon system's 30 year life.
NAS 411 provides a uniform framework for contractors to identify, manage,
minimize, and eliminate hazardous materials wherever possible. This standard
ensures a flexible, systematic process for managing hazardous materials in the
acquisition and life cycle of weapon systems. Having one uniform system to
manage hazardous materials within a contract allows the contractor to avoid
costly "program-specific" requirements.
By implementing this standard, DoD will save money on the life cycle costs of
its weapon systems. For example, the F-22 program has eliminated all but one
use of the ozone depleting substances from production, operation and
maintenance procedures. This is in contrast to the number of ozone depleting
substance uses in the C-5A program, which is over 3,000.
