About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GAO-04-379R 1 (2004-01-29)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptapwd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ,Accountability * Integrity* Reliability United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548 January 29, 2004 The Honorable Wayne Allard Chairman The Honorable Bill Nelson Ranking Minority Member Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Committee on Armed Services United States Senate Subject: Defense Acquisitions: Risks Posed by DOD's New Space Systems Acquisition Policy On November 18, 2003, we testified before the Subcommittee on the Department of Defense's (DOD) new acquisition policy for space systems. The new acquisition policy, issued in October 2003, sets the stage for decision making for DOD's investment in space systems, which currently stands at more than $18 billion annually and is expected to grow considerably over the next decade. You requested that we provide additional comments on several issues relating to the new policy and other space acquisition issues. Your specific questions and our answers are discussed below. 1. The Air Force maintains that its Defense Space Acquisition Board (DSAB) process allows earlier identification of problems and senior level attention, which will improve management and lower risk. Does GAO have any concerns with the DSAB process? Our concern is not with earlier identification of problems or the added senior level attention the new process calls for, but with earlier investment decisions, which are also called for. Under the new process, the DSAB may approve product development to begin before DOD knows whether technologies can work as intended. As a result, it will make major investment commitments without really knowing what resources will be required to deliver promised capability. Moreover, the policy encourages development of leading-edge technology within product development, that is, at the same time the program manager is designing the system and undertaking other product development activities. DOD believes this approach will allow space systems to better incorporate leading-edge technologies. But as our work has GAO-04-379R DOD Space Acquisition Policy

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most