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GAO-10-315R 1 (2010-01-14)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaanqt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GA 0 Acountabiity I Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 January 14, 2010 The Honorable John Murtha Chairman Subcommittee on Defense Committee on Appropriations House of Representatives Subject: Briefing on Commercial and Department of Defense Space System Requirements and Acquisition Practices Dear Mr. Chairman: The Department of Defense (DOD) has had long-standing difficulties developing and delivering space systems on time and within budget. Some programs have been delayed by years and cost billions of dollars more than their initial estimates. 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. These efforts have not been successful and, in some cases, have exacerbated problems, particularly with respect to oversight. In view of past challenges with adopting commercial approaches, you requested we examine 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 companies could be used for national security space system acquisitions? (3) Which acquisition practices adopted by commercial companies may not be readily adaptable for national security space system acquisitions? The attached briefing provides the results of our review. This letter provides a brief summary of how we conducted our work and the results of our review. Scope and Methodology To conduct our review, we interviewed officials and reviewed and analyzed documentation on missions, requirements, and technology development from all major U.S. commercial satellite manufacturers and selected service providers, the two major space industry associations, a major space insurance broker, and from DOD-Office of the Secretary of Defense, Air Force Headquarters and Space and Missile Systems Center, and other organizations responsible for acquisition oversight, GAO-10-315R Space Acquisition Practices

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