Dear Editor,
Over the last several years, the guidance on calculating Maintenance Expenditure Limits (MELs) has been unclear. Here’s the bottom line: The governing guidance for MEL computations is AR 750-1. In accordance with AR 25-30, Army regulations establish policy. Professional bulletins, technical bulletins and other publications don’t, so if there are any inconsistencies between AR 750-1 and any other publications, the solution is to follow AR 750-1.
Para 4-2b of AR 750-1 states: “MEL will be expressed as a percentage of the unit replacement price.” The unit replacement price is listed as “unit price” in the FED LOG/Army Master Data File (AMDF).
What about the forecasted MEL in the Standard Study Numbers (SSNs) application in the Army Common Operating Picture (ARCOP)? SSN information is only used for comptroller forecasting and shouldn’t be used for day-to-day MEL computations performed by Army units.
Here’s the correct MEL computation formula.
| MEL Calculation |
| a. Estimated Repair Costs (per vehicle): |
$________________ |
| b. Army Unit Price on FED LOG: |
$________________ |
| c. MEL Percentage |
________________% |
| d. MEL: Army Unit Price (b) x MEL Percentage (c): |
$________________ |
| e. Do estimated repair costs (a) exceed the MEL (d)? |
Yes [ ] No [ ] |
CW4 Lanorris Ford
AMC G3 LRC
Editor’s note: You’ve answered a question that’s been in the field for years. Thanks, Chief.