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Defense Acquisitions: Status of Ballistic Missile Defense Program in 2004

GAO-05-243 Published: Mar 31, 2005. Publicly Released: Mar 31, 2005.
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Highlights

Since 1985, the Department of Defense (DOD) has invested $85 billion in ballistic missile defense programs, with $66.5 billion more anticipated over the next 7 years through 2011. As a major result of this investment, the Department is on the verge of activating our nation's first missile defense system for protecting the United States from intercontinental ballistic missile attacks out of Northeast Asia. This initial capability--referred to as Limited Defensive Operations (LDO)--is the first step of a national priority to develop, field, and evolve over time an overarching ballistic missile defense system (BMDS). To fulfill a congressional mandate, GAO assessed how well the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) met its cost, schedule, testing, and performance goals during fiscal year 2004. GAO assessed the program last year and will continue to provide assessments of MDA progress through 2006.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Missile Defense Agency To assist decision makers in Congress and DOD in exercising their oversight of MDA's acquisition plans and in evaluating MDA's budget requests, the Director, MDA, should clarify and modify, as needed, its block policy to ensure that a block's cost and fielding goals are consistently aligned.
Closed – Implemented
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has moved forward in modifying its block policy so that cost goals and fielding goals are properly aligned. As reflected in the FY 2006 President's Budget (and seen in the Staffer Day Briefings), MDA implemented a new BMDS baseline approach that reallocated funding between blocks. The biggest reallocation involved the THAAD program, which is planned to have its first fielded unit in FY 2009. This fielding is now considered a "Block 2008" fielding (rather than a Block 2006 fielding), and THAAD's Block 2004 activities have been folded into the Block 2006 program. MDA did not realign block funding for the Airborne Laser program.

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Topics

Air defense systemsBallistic missile defenseBudget activitiesCost analysisCost overrunsDefense appropriationsDefense capabilitiesDefense cost controlDefense procurementIntercontinental ballistic missilesInternal controlsNational defense operationsOperational testingPerformance managementPerformance measuresSchedule slippagesStrategic planningBudget requests