Fixing the Weapon Systems Acquisition PipelineFebruary 19, 2009

 

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has told congressional leaders that the Pentagon's procurement of expensive weapons systems has produced "repeated and unacceptable problems with requirements, schedule, cost, and performance."

His chief examples of the problem include big-ticket weapons systems spanning the services that have cost overruns and are well behind schedule: Osprey, Future Combat Systems, Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, Joint Strike Fighter "and so on."

Since the end of World War II, the Pentagon has conducted nearly 130 studies on the acquisition and procurement process — to little avail, said Gates. But the unfolding financial crisis gives this problem greater urgency and forces the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop a better system for how it acquires goods and services using taxpayer dollars.

Read more about the changes that are coming in procurement by downloading the Wharton Aerospace & Defense Report’s latest white paper, Fixing the Weapon Systems Acquisition Pipeline (PDF, 112 KB).