Since NOAA was established in 1970, the agency has operated aircraft to aid in the collection of earth observation data to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts; collect data necessary for weather and water forecasts; and help conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. To help NOAA’s line offices accomplish this mission, OMAO—an administrative office organized under NOAA’s Deputy Undersecretary for Operations—is charged with maintaining and operating NOAA’s aircraft as a service to the line offices. The responsibilities of the line offices are widely varied, and their aircraft needs are similarly varied. For example, the National Weather Service relies on NOAA aircraft to determine the water content of snow and collect data to support its forecast and warning responsibilities. In contrast, the National Marine Fisheries Service uses NOAA aircraft to count marine mammals and track the location of whale pods. Table 1 provides information on NOAA’s line offices and how each uses NOAA aircraft to accomplish its work. To meet the diverse needs of the line offices, OMAO procures, manages, operates, and maintains a fleet of aircraft capable of functioning in demanding environments such as over open ocean, mountains, coastal wetlands, arctic pack ice, and in and around hurricanes and other severe weather systems. NOAA-owned aircraft are unique in that they have been altered to accommodate a wide range of specialized scientific data collection instruments, some of which are specifically designed for use in NOAA aircraft. For example, NOAA’s Gulfstream IV-SP and P-3 Orion planes can carry a tail Doppler radar, which is used to gather information about winds and precipitation within tropical storms and cyclones. These planes are the only government-owned aircraft used for hurricane research to improve the forecasting of a hurricane’s track and intensity. NOAA’s P-3 Orion aircraft also facilitate testing of new scientific instrumentation and data collection strategies. NOAA operates heavy aircraft capable of flying in tropical cyclones; light aircraft that conduct shoreline change assessments, oil spill investigations, snow surveys for spring flood forecasts, and other missions; and unmanned aircraft systems. For fiscal years 2009 to 2013, OMAO’s costs associated with operating and maintaining heavy aircraft accounted for, on average, 85 percent of its total aircraft costs. Figure 1 shows NOAA’s aircraft fleet. NOAA’s aircraft fly approximately 3,800 to 5,200 flight hours per year. The majority of these hours are funded by OMAO’s budget. However, line offices may also request flight time on NOAA-owned planes that is paid for with line office funds. For example, the National Marine Fisheries Service is funding 210 flight hours to conduct Steller sea lion and harbor seal surveys for June to September 2014. NOAA’s planes conduct missions for other agencies on a reimbursable basis, as well. Figure 2 shows NOAA’s aircraft flight hours and associated costs for fiscal years 2004 to 2013. As noted, NOAA’s aircraft fleet capacity is limited, and line office needs exceed capacity. When NOAA line office scientists are unable to obtain time on NOAA-owned aircraft, they must wait until NOAA aircraft become available, rely on chartered aircraft, contract for data, or forgo the use of aircraft. NOAA’s ability to meet line office needs for aircraft is further affected by the requirements placed on NOAA’s aircraft by the National Hurricane Operations Plan, which details interdepartmental agreements and responsibilities related to tropical cyclone forecasting. Although most hurricane reconnaissance is conducted by Air Force aircraft, NOAA is required to make its P-3 Orion aircraft available if the Air Force is unable to meet the reconnaissance needs posed by severe weather events. One of NOAA’s two operating P-3 Orion planes must be configured and available to conduct reconnaissance each hurricane season from June 1 to November 30, and the other P-3 Orion must be available from July 15 to September 30. During these months, the P-3 Orion planes are generally not available for other uses. NOAA officials also told us that they expect the line offices’ missions will expand in the future, thereby increasing their need for aircraft services. For example, one National Weather Service official told us that agency has recently been tasked with additional responsibilities related to measuring soil moisture for agricultural purposes, which will require additional aircraft time to carry out. The OMAO strategic plan likewise notes that the agency faces challenges in providing services to meet a growing demand for scientific data. To help agencies address capacity limitations such as these, OMB guidance suggests agencies should engage in effective capital asset planning and management to ensure that their assets are acquired, operated, and maintained at the right size, cost, and condition to support agency missions and objectives. Regarding capital asset planning, both OMB guidance and our past work stress the importance of linking capital asset investments to an organization’s overall mission and long-term strategic goals. The guidance also emphasizes evaluating a full range of alternatives to bridge any identified performance gap, informed by agency asset inventories that contain condition information. Further, the guidance calls for a comprehensive decision-making framework to review, rank, and select from among competing project proposals. The ultimate product of the planning phase is a comprehensive capital asset plan, which defines the long-term capital decisions that resulted from the agency’s capital planning process. Both OMB guidance and our past work highlight the importance of developing a capital asset plan. Appendix II provides additional information on the key principles in capital asset planning. Regarding capital asset management, OMB guidance encourages agencies to adopt leading practices such as monitoring of asset inventory, operations, and performance. Table 2 shows examples of OMB leading practices in capital asset management. NOAA has 34 efforts aimed at improving its aircraft asset planning and management, according to agency officials, some of which are ongoing while others are under way or planned; however, because most of these efforts are not yet fully implemented, it is too early to determine whether they will reflect OMB leading practices in capital asset programming. Many of the efforts are designed to obtain additional or enhanced information about the use or condition of NOAA’s aircraft assets, according to agency officials. For example, NOAA has completed an effort to automate and integrate its various software applications for tracking aircraft use, maintenance, and repair. In addition, according to agency officials, many of NOAA’s efforts are intended to contribute to the development of a capital asset plan for its aircraft—a plan that NOAA does not currently have. Generally, NOAA’s efforts fall into the following categories: Assets: NOAA has eight efforts related to upgrading, using, or disposing of certain aircraft assets. For example, in 2013, NOAA completed an extensive multi-year process to identify and validate NOAA line offices’ information needs. NOAA also updated its annual process for scheduling and allocating aircraft flight hours to better prioritize aircraft use in meeting these needs. NOAA is in the process of disposing of a non-operational P-3 Orion aircraft. Other efforts include a project to replace the wings of its two remaining operational P-3 Orion aircraft and upgrade the camera systems on its PUMA unmanned aircraft system. Collaboration: NOAA has five efforts related to improving collaboration with other federal agencies. For example, NOAA has an effort to improve collaboration regarding the use of unmanned aerial systems and an effort to evaluate opportunities for placing NOAA personnel with other federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research, to learn about their operations and gain expertise that could be transferred to NOAA. Measures: NOAA has three efforts that are intended to improve the quantity or accuracy of performance measures regarding aircraft. For example, NOAA has an effort under way to improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the information it gathers and analyzes to measure aircraft performance. Currently, NOAA uses the number of hours flown by its aircraft on missions as its aircraft performance measure, but the agency is working to potentially expand its measures to include the information on the amount and quality of scientific data collected during those hours. Plans: NOAA has eight efforts involving the creation of long-term plans that together are intended to serve as a comprehensive capital asset plan. For example, NOAA is developing a broad “airborne composition plan” that is being designed to analyze information on future aircraft needs and guide the future composition of NOAA’s fleet. According to NOAA officials, this plan will rely on the recently completed effort that identified the information needs of NOAA’s line offices. The plan is also expected to assess whether these needs can be met with existing assets or whether other options should be considered, such as acquiring additional aircraft or other assets, relying on aircraft operated by other federal agencies, chartering commercial aircraft, or other options. In a related effort, NOAA is also working to develop an analysis of options for repairing or replacing its heavy aircraft in the future. NOAA also intends to develop a plan related to unmanned aircraft systems, as well as workforce plans that will cover aircraft administration, management, and operations personnel. Policies and data: NOAA has 10 efforts related to updating existing policies and conducting data analysis. For example, NOAA has an effort to revise its safety management policies and is working to analyze the organizational structure of OMAO to identify opportunities for improving its ability to deliver aircraft services. Regarding the status of these 34 NOAA efforts aimed at improving aircraft asset planning and management, 5 efforts have been completed, 23 efforts are ongoing, and 6 efforts are scheduled to begin within the next 3 years. NOAA expects to complete all 34 efforts by fiscal year 2017. Figure 3 shows the status of NOAA’s 34 efforts aimed at improving aircraft capital asset planning and management.