Download or read book Weapons Acquisition DoD Should Strengthen Policies for Assessing Technical Data Needs to Support Weapon Systems written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Army and the Air Force have encountered limitations in their sustainment plans for some fielded weapon systems because they lacked needed technical data rights. The lack of technical data rights has limited the services flexibility to make changes to sustainment plans that are aimed at achieving cost savings and meeting legislative requirements regarding depot maintenance capabilities. During our review we identified seven Army and Air Force weapon system programs where these military services encountered limitations in implementing revisions to sustainment plans C-17 aircraft, F-22 aircraft, C-130J aircraft, Up-armored High- Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), Stryker family of vehicles, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, and M4 carbine. Although the circumstances surrounding each case were unique, earlier decisions made on technical data rights during system acquisition were cited as a primary reason for the limitations subsequently encountered. As a result of the limitations encountered due to the lack of technical data rights, the services had to alter their plans for developing maintenance capability at public depots, new sources of supply to increase production, or competitive offers for the acquisition of spare parts and components to reduce sustainment costs. For example, the Air Force identified a need to develop a capability to perform maintenance on the C-17 at government depots but lacked the requisite technical data rights. Consequently, the Air Force is seeking to form partnerships with C-17 subvendors to develop its depot maintenance capability. Its efforts to form these partnerships have had mixed results, according to Air Force officials, because some sub-vendors have declined to provide the needed technical data.
Download or read book Weapons Acquisition 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 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A critical element in the life cycle of a weapon system is the availability of the item's technical data-recorded information used to define a design and to produce, support, maintain, or operate the item. Because a weapon system may remain in the defense inventory for decades following initial acquisition, technical data decisions made during acquisition can have far-reaching implications over its life cycle. In August 2004, GAO recommended that the Department of Defense (DOD) consider requiring program offices to develop acquisition strategies that provide for future delivery of technical data should the need arise to select an alternative source for logistics support or to offer the work out for competition. For this review, GAO (1) evaluated how sustainment plans for Army and Air Force weapon systems had been affected by technical data rights and (2) examined requirements for obtaining technical data rights under current DOD acquisition policies.
Download or read book Weapons Acquisition written by U S Government Accountability Office (G and published by BiblioGov. This book was released on 2013-07 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that works for Congress. The GAO watches over Congress, and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars. The Comptroller General of the United States is the leader of the GAO, and is appointed to a 15-year term by the U.S. President. The GAO wants to support Congress, while at the same time doing right by the citizens of the United States. They audit, investigate, perform analyses, issue legal decisions and report anything that the government is doing. This is one of their reports.
Download or read book Gao 06 839 Weapons Acquisition written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-01-29 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: GAO-06-839 Weapons Acquisition: DOD Should Strengthen Policies for Assessing Technical Data Needs to Support Weapon Systems
Download or read book Weapons Acquisition written by United States. Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Defense Acquisition written by United States. Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some of the Department of Defense's (DOD) weapon systems remain in the inventory for decades. Therefore, decisions that program officials make during the acquisition process to acquire or not acquire rights to technical data, which may cost $1 billion, can have far-reaching implications for DOD's ability to sustain and competitively procure parts and services for those systems. DOD needs access to technical data to control costs, maintain flexibility in acquisition and sustainment, and maintain and operate systems. In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the extent to which: (1) DOD has updated its acquisition and procurement policies to reflect a 2007 law and 2006 GAO recommendations; (2) selected acquisition programs adhered to requirements to document technical-data needs; and (3) DOD took actions to improve technical-data decisions by program managers. GAO interviewed DOD officials, reviewed acquisition strategies and acquisition plans from 12 programs, and compared those documents to relevant DOD policies.
Download or read book Defense Acquisition DoD Should Clarify Requirements for Assessing and Documenting Technical Data Needs written by Jack E. Edwards and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2011-09 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some DoD weapon systems remain in the inventory for decades. Therefore, decisions that program officials make during the acquisition process to acquire or not acquire rights to technical data (TD) can have far-reaching implications for DoD's ability to sustain and competitively procure parts and services for those systems. DoD needs access to TD to control costs, maintain flexibility in acquisition and sustainment, and maintain and operate systems. This report reviews the extent to which: (1) DoD has updated its acquisition and procurement policies; (2) selected acquisition programs adhered to requirements to document TD needs; and (3) DoD took actions to improve TD decisions by program managers. Illus. This is a print on demand report.
Download or read book Defense acquisitions assessments of major weapon programs report to Congressional committees written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Weapons Acquisition written by United States. General Accounting Office and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Weapons Acquisition Reform Reform Act Is Helping DOD Acquisition Programs Reduce Risk But Implementation Challenges Remain GAO 13 103 written by U. s. Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Department of Defense (DOD) has taken steps to implement fundamental Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (Reform Act) provisions, including those for approving acquisition strategies and better monitoring weapon acquisition programs. DOD is also continuing to take additional steps to strengthen policies and capabilities. Some provisions, such as issuing guidance for estimating operating and support costs, are being implemented. GAO's analysis of 11 weapon acquisition programs showed the Reform Act has reinforced early attention to requirements, cost and schedule estimates, testing, and reliability. For example, prior to starting development, an independent review team raised concerns about the Ground Combat Vehicle program's many requirements and the risks associated with its 7-year schedule. Subsequently, the Army reduced the number of requirements by about 25 percent and prioritized them, giving contractors more flexibility in designing solutions. In addition, the developmental test and evaluation office--resulting from the Reform Act--used test results to help the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program develop a more realistic reliability goal and a better approach to reach it. While DOD has taken steps to implement most of the fundamental Reform Act provisions, some key efforts to date have been primarily focused on DOD's largest weapon acquisition programs. DOD faces five challenges--organizational capability constraints, the need for additional guidance on cost estimating and Reform Act implementation, the uncertainty about the sufficiency of systems engineering and developmental testing resources, limited dissemination of lessons learned, and cultural barriers between the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the military services--that limit its ability to broaden the Reform Act's influence to more programs. Service officials believe additional guidance is needed to improve their cost estimates and other implementation efforts. They also believe that lessons learned from programs that experience significant cost and schedule increases should be shared more broadly within the acquisition community. These challenges seem straightforward to address, but they may require more resources, which have been difficult to obtain. Ensuring the services have key leaders and staff dedicated to systems engineering and developmental testing activities, such as chief engineers at the service level and technical leads on programs, as well as breaking down cultural barriers are more difficult to address. They will require continued monitoring and attention by the Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, service acquisition executives, and offices established as a result of the Reform Act to address.
Download or read book High Risk Series written by U S Government Accountability Office (G and published by BiblioGov. This book was released on 2013-06 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) weapons system acquisition process, focusing on the internal control weaknesses that inhibit the development of major weapons requirements. GAO found that: (1) although the overall defense budget has declined, wasteful practices that inflate defense acquisition costs remain; (2) DOD continues to establish questionable requirements for its weapon systems, project unrealistic cost and performance estimates, develop duplicative weapons systems, and prematurely commit to production before completing testing; (3) DOD has supported efforts to eliminate overlapping and redundant weapon requirements and reduce high-risk acquisition strategies; (4) DOD has begun to reassess many of its most expense weapon programs to determine which systems should be terminated, reduced, or delayed; (5) Congress has established an independent commission to reevaluate the military services' roles and missions and examine whether the DOD acquisition structure is too complex; (6) DOD initiatives to improve its weapons acquisition process cannot be assessed because they are in various stages of implementation; and (7) DOD believes that substantive reforms in its acquisition process can be achieved due to fiscal constraints, reduced threats, dwindling forces, congressional support, and DOD commitment to reform.
Download or read book Weapons Acquisition written by U S Government Accountability Office (G and published by BiblioGov. This book was released on 2013-07 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) use of low-rate initial production (LRIP) in its systems acquisition programs, focusing on whether: (1) DOD LRIP practices result in the production of adequate systems; and (2) the legislation underlying LRIP policies is adequate. GAO found that: (1) despite congressional emphasis on the need for operational test and evaluation (OT&E) prior to system production, legislation and DOD policies permit LRIP to start before any OT&E is conducted because there are no specific guidelines on the type and amount of testing required prior to LRIP; (2) the lack of guidelines has resulted in substantial inventories of unsatisfactory weapons that need costly modifications and some deployments of substandard systems to combat forces; (3) correction of system deficiencies in prematurely produced systems lengthens production schedules and increases resource consumption; (4) major production decisions are often made during LRIP; (5) LRIP severely limits Congress' and DOD decisionmakers' options for dealing with deficient systems; (6) DOD needs accurate, independent information on system performance and suitability to minimize the risks of procuring costly and ineffective systems; and (7) in light of the current national security environment, there should not be an urgent need to start LRIP before system capabilities are adequately tested.
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions written by Gene L. Dodaro and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report examines how well DoD is planning and executing its weapon acquisition programs. The report includes: (1) an analysis of the overall performance of DoD's 2008 portfolio of 96 major defense acquisition programs and a comparison to the portfolio performance at two other points in time -- 5 years ago and 1 year ago; (2) an analysis of current cost and schedule outcomes and knowledge attained by key junctures in the acquisition process for a subset of 47 weapon programs -- primarily in development -- from the 2008 portfolio; (3) data on other factors that could impact program stability; and (4) an update on changes in DoD's acquisition policies. Includes a one- or two-page assessment of 67 weapon programs. Illustrations.
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions written by Michael J. Sullivan and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2008-10 with total page 47 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The DoD expects the cost to develop and procure the major weapon systems in its portfolio to total $1.6 trill. With increased competition for funding within DoD and across the fed. gov¿t., effectively managing these acquisitions is critical. Yet DoD programs often experience poor outcomes -- like increased costs and delayed fielding of needed capabilities. In 2006, a report was issued on DoD¿s processes for identifying needs and allocating resources for its weapon system programs. In 2007, it was reported that DoD consistently commits to more programs than it can support. This report assesses DoD¿s funding approach, identifies factors that influence the effectiveness of this approach, and identifies practices that could help improve DoD¿s approach.
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions written by Michael J. Sullivan and published by . This book was released on 2016-05-04 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annual assessment of Department of Defense (DOD) major weapon system acquisitions, an area on GAO's high-risk list. DOD and Congress have taken meaningful steps to improve the acquisition of major weapon systems, yet programs continue to experience cost and schedule overruns. Further, GAO has emphasized the need to sustain the implementation of acquisition reforms and for programs to complete developmental testing before beginning production, thereby avoiding concurrency and cost and schedule growth. This report includes observations on (1) the cost and schedule performance of DOD's 2015 portfolio of 79 major defense acquisition programs; (2) the knowledge attained at key junctures in the acquisition process for 43 programs that were in development or early production; and (3) key acquisition reform initiatives and program concurrency. Tables and figures. This is a print on demand report.
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions DoD Must Prioritize Its Weapon System Acquisitions and Balance Them with Available Resources written by Michael J. Sullivan and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since FY 2000, the DoD has significantly increased the number of major defense acquisition programs and its overall investment in them. However, acquisition outcomes have not improved. In most cases, the programs failed to deliver capabilities when promised -- often forcing warfighters to spend additional funds on maintaining legacy systems. This testimony describes the systemic problems that have contributed to poor cost and schedule outcomes in DoD¿s acquisition of major weapon systems; recent actions DoD has taken to address these problems; and steps that Congress and DoD need to take to improve the future performance of DoD¿s major weapon programs. Illustrations.
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions written by Michael J. Sullivan and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010-03 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DoD weapon programs often experience significant cost and schedule problems because they are allowed to start with too many technical unknowns and not enough knowledge about the development and production risks they entail. This report reviews DoD's Analysis of Alternatives (AOA) process -- intended to assess the operational effectiveness, costs, and risks of alternative weapon system solutions. This report: (1) examines whether AOAs have been effective in identifying the most promising options and providing a sound rationale for weapon program initiation; (2) determines what factors have affected the scope and quality of AOAs; and (3) assesses whether recent DoD policy changes will enhance the effectiveness of AOAs. Illus.
