GAO’s 2021 Weapon Systems Annual Assessment

June 8, 2021 12:12 PM

The following is the June 8, 2021, Government Accountability Office 2021 report, Weapon Systems Annual Assessment: Updated Program Oversight Approach Needed.

From the report

GAO’s 19th annual assessment of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) weapon programs comes at a time of significant internal changes to the department’s acquisition process. Specifically, DOD began implementing its new acquisition framework intended to, among other things, deliver solutions to the end user in a timely manner. However, GAO found that many programs have planned acquisition approaches that, unless properly managed and overseen, could result in cost and schedule challenges similar to those GAO has reported on for nearly the past 2 decades.

DOD’s new acquisition framework allows program managers to use one or more of six acquisition pathways—including the major capability acquisition and middle-tier acquisition (MTA) pathways used by the programs GAO reviewed. Each pathway is governed by separate policies for milestones, cost and schedule goals, and reporting. Program managers can tailor, combine, and transition between pathways based on program goals and risks associated with the weapon system being acquired.

Procurement reductions in DOD’s costliest program—the F-35—drove an MDAP portfolio cost decrease since GAO’s last annual report (see figure). Excluding this program, quantity changes and other factors such as schedule delays contributed to one-year portfolio cost growth. Sixteen MDAPs also showed schedule delays since GAO’s 2020 report. Such delays are due, in part, to delivery or test delays and poor system performance.

Download the document here.

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