Download or read book Space Acquisitions written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-09-13 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Department of Defense (DOD) wants to create a networked force where soldiers and systems are able to operate together seamlessly. To help facilitate this transformation, DOD began the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) program in January 2004. We reported in 2003 that TSAT was about to begin without sufficiently mature technology. In this report, at your request, we followed up with an assessment of (1) how the TSAT program is progressing, and (2) whether the program is using an acquisition approach that will provide the knowledge needed to enter product development.

Download or read book Space Acquisitions written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Gao 06 537 Space Acquisitions written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-01-28 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: GAO-06-537 Space Acquisitions: DOD Needs Additional Knowledge as it Embarks on a New Approach for Transformational Satellite Communications System

Download or read book Space Acquisitions DoD Needs Additional Knowledge as it Embarks on a New Approach for Transformational Satellite Communications System written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DOD is not meeting original cost, schedule, and performance goals established for the TSAT program. When the program was initiated in 2004, DOD estimated TSAT's total acquisition cost to be $15.5 billion and that it would launch the first satellite in April 2011. TSAT's current official cost estimate is nearly $16 billion, and the initial launch date has slipped September 2014-a delay of over 3 years. Furthermore, DOD has changed the TSAT program to an incremental development approach and under this approach, the initial delivery of capability will be less than what DOD originally planned but the performance goal of the full five-satellite constellation has not changed. After DOD established initial goals for TSAT, Congress reduced the program's funding in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 because of concerns about the maturity of critical technologies and an aggressive acquisition schedule. DOD developed the original goals before it had sufficient knowledge about critical TSAT technologies, rendering the goals unreliable. In early 2004, when DOD initiated the TSAT acquisition, only one of seven critical technologies was mature.

Download or read book Improving Federal Financial Management written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Space Acquisitions DoD Faces Substantial Challenges in Developing New Space Systems written by Cristina T. Chaplain and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-09 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The majority of large-scale acquisition programs in the DoD space portfolio have experienced problems during the past two decades that have driven up cost and schedules and increased technical risks. The cost resulting from acquisition problems has resulted in cancellations of programs that were expected to require investments of tens of billions of dollars. Many programs are experiencing significant schedule delays resulting in potential capability gaps in areas such as positioning, navigation, and timing; missile warning; and weather monitoring. This testimony focuses on: (1) the condition of space acquisitions; (2) causal factors; and (3) recommend. for better positioning programs and industry for success. Charts and tables.

Download or read book Space Acqusitions DOD Delivering New Generations of Satellites but Space System Acquisition Challenges Remain Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Committee on Armed Services U S Senate written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Space Acquisitions written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-09-13 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Estimated costs for the Department of Defense's (DOD) major space acquisition programs have increased by about $12.2 billion from initial estimates for fiscal years 2006 through 2011. Cost growth for ongoing Air Force programs above initial estimates accounts for a substantial portion of this 44 percent increase. In light of the role that optimistic estimating is believed to have played in exacerbating space acquisition cost growth, you requested that we examine (1) in what areas space system acquisition cost estimates have been unrealistic and (2) what incentives and pressures have contributed to the quality and usefulness of cost estimates for space system acquisitions.

Download or read book Space Acquisitions Government and Industry Partners Face Substantial Challenges in Developing New DoD Space Systems written by Cristina Chaplain and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-09 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The majority of large-scale acquisition programs in the DoD space portfolio have experienced problems during the past two decades that have driven up cost and schedules and increased technical risks. Along with the cost increases, many programs are experiencing significant schedule delays -- as much as 7 years -- resulting in potential capability gaps in areas such as positioning, navigation, and timing; missile warning; and weather monitoring. This testimony focuses on: (1) the condition of space acquisitions; (2) causal factors; (3) observations on the space industrial base; and (4) recommendations for better positioning programs and industry for success. Illustrations.

Download or read book Military Satellite Communications written by United States. General Accounting Office and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Briefing on Commercial and Department of Defense Space System Requirements and Acquisition Practices written by Cristina T. Chaplain and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 57 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The DoD has had long-standing difficulties developing and delivering space systems on time and within budget. Attempts to reform DoD space acquisitions in the past have sought to leverage commercial approaches or rely more on the commercial sector to meet DoD needs. This report examined the following questions: (1) What are the differences between commercial and national security space system missions, requirements, and technology development? (2) What acquisition practices adopted by commercial co¿s. could be used for national security space system acquisitions? (3) Which acquisition practices adopted by commercial co¿s. may not be readily adaptable for national security space system acquisitions? Charts and tables.

Download or read book Military space operations common problems and their effects on satellite and related acquisitions written by United States. General Accounting Office and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2003 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In fiscal year 2003, the Department of Defense expects to spend more than $18 billion to develop, acquire, and operate satellites and other space-related systems. Satellite systems collect information on the capabilities and intentions of potential adversaries. They enable military forces to be warned of a missile attack and to communicate and navigate while avoiding hostile action. And they provide information that allows forces to precisely attack targets in ways that minimize collateral damage and loss of life. DOD's satellites also enable global communications, television broadcasts, weather forecasting; navigation of ships, planes, trucks, and cars; and synchronization of computers, communications, and electric power grids. Congress requested that we review reports we issued on satellite and other space-related programs over the past two decades and identify common problems affecting these programs. The majority of satellite programs cost more than expected and took longer to develop and launch than planned. In reviewing our past reports, we found that these results were commonly tied to the following problems. Requirements for what the satellite needed to do and how well it must perform were not adequately defined at the beginning of a program or were changed significantly once the program had already begun. Investment practices were weak. For example, potentially more cost-effective approaches were not examined and cost estimates were optimistic. Acquisition strategies were poorly executed. For example, competition was reduced for the sake of schedule or DOD did not adequately oversee contractors. Technologies were not mature enough to be included in product development. Several factors contributed to these problems. First, DOD often took a schedule-driven instead of a knowledge-driven approach to the acquisition process. As a result, activities essential to containing costs, maximizing competition among contractors and testing technologies were compressed or not done. Second, there is a diverse array of organizations with competing interests involved in overall satellite development--from the individual military services, to testing organizations, contractors, civilian agencies, and in some cases international partners. This created challenges in making tough tradeoff decisions, particularly since, for many years, there was no high-level official within the Office of the Secretary of Defense dedicated to developing and enforcing an overall investment strategy for space. Third, space acquisition programs have historically attempted to satisfy all requirements in a single step, regardless of the design challenge or the maturity of technologies to achieve the full capability. This approach made it difficult to match requirements to available resources (in terms of time, money, and technology). Other factors also created challenges for the satellite acquisition programs we reviewed. These include a shrinking industrial base, a declining space workforce, difficulties associated with testing satellites in a realistic environment, as well as challenges associated with launching satellites.

Download or read book Space Acquisitions written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2013-01-22 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Last year, GAO testified that though acquisition problems still existed in many space programs, the Department of Defense (DOD) was beginning to launch satellites that had long been lagging behind schedule and it had taken positive actions to instill better practices and more focused leadership for space. Progress has continued. Over the past year, DOD launched the first Navy Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite; the first, after a nine-year delay, of six Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellites; and the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite-all of which will bring important capability to the warfighter. While these launches represent solid progress, there have also been some drawbacks. For instance, the second Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite experienced technical problems that could shorten its operational lifetime. The cost of the first two GPS III satellites is at least18 percent higher than first estimated, up to $1.6 billion today. A 1-year delay is expected by SBIRS program officials on production of the 3rd and 4th GEO satellites along with a $438 million cost overrun. And, a termination of the Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS) may result in a capability gap. Moreover, even though problems have been overcome, DOD must still contend with the effects of its previous difficulties on its investment portfolio. Recent GAO reviews highlight other difficulties facing DOD space programs. GAO's review of a new acquisition strategy for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, for instance, identified a need for more knowledge about the industrial base as well as cost and pricing in order to optimize a sizable investment in launch vehicles. GAO's review of parts quality problems in major DOD, Missile Defense Agency, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs illustrated that acquisition reforms need to be buttressed with closer attention to the quality of piece parts as issues have vexed most major programs. GAO, however, credited the agencies with instituting collaborative efforts to address supplier quality. Though it still faces an array of challenges, DOD continues to work to ensure its space programs are more executable and produce a better return on investment. For example, DOD intends to follow incremental or evolutionary acquisition processes and it has acted to streamline management and oversight of the national security space enterprise. The agency has taken steps toward reforming the defense acquisition system to help its programs to meet planned cost and schedule objectives. Because DOD intends to address the root causes of problems, it will take time to determine if these actions are successful or need further actions on how best to lead, organize, and support space activities. Moreover, there are significant barriers to ensuring investments are optimized. These include fragmented leadership, the rising cost of launch, uncertainty about the future for technology advancements, and disconnects between the fielding of satellites with user equipment and ground systems needed to take advantage of expensive new capabilities. Addressing all of these challenges are needed to maintain space superiority in an era of fiscal austerity, but their resolution also requires the participation and cooperation of all the military services, the intelligence community, and agencies such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Download or read book Satellite communications strategic approach needed for DOD s procurement of commercial satellite bandwidth written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book CIS Annual written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Defense acquisitions improvements needed in space systems acquisition management policy written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Space Acquisitions DoD Poised to Enhance Space Capabilities But Persistent Challenges Remain in Developing Space Systems written by Cristina T. Chaplain and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010-06 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The majority of large-scale acquisition programs in the DoD space portfolio have experienced problems during the past two decades that have driven up costs by billions of dollars, stretched schedules by years, and increased technical risks. To address the cost increases, DoD altered its acquisitions by reducing the number of satellites it intended to buy, reducing the capabilities of the satellites, or terminating major space systems acquisitions. Many space acquisitions are experiencing significant schedule delays resulting in potential capability gaps in areas such as missile warning, military commun., and weather monitoring. This testimony focuses on: the status of space acquisitions; factors of acquisition problems; and efforts to improve acquisitions. Illus.