Major Acquisitions: DOD's Process Does Not Ensure Proper Weapons Mix for Close Support Mission
NSIAD-92-180
Published: Apr 17, 1992. Publicly Released: May 19, 1992.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) close support major acquisition process, focusing on whether the: (1) process identifies the proper mix of weapons systems needed for current and future missions; (2) increased involvement of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has broadened DOD analyses to include consideration of the expected contribution of all services' close support assets; and (3) Army's planned procurements in support of its current doctrine and future war-fighting concept will overlap traditional areas of Air Force operations.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | To be more consistent with the objectives of the Goldwater-Nichols legislation, the Secretary of Defense should strengthen DOD analysis of close support mission needs to ensure that each requirement and acquisition decision is made only after full disclosure and evaluation of the expected contributions of all complementary close support weapon systems, regardless of service. |
Closed – Not Implemented
As of August 17, 1993, DOD had closed this case and planned no action regarding this recommendation. In its response, DOD stated that (1) while the military services needed to understand and be able to capitalize on the close support capability of the other services, each service brought to the battlefield a different set of weapon capabilities that translated into different ways to destroy battlefield targets and (2) some overlapping capabilities were necessary because the engaged ground commanders might not have all weapons at their disposal but had, DOD hoped, enough to accomplish their mission.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct each military service to provide: (1) an in-depth mission needs analysis that identifies the expected contributions of all existing close support weapon systems both within its own service and in the other services; and (2) similar analyses of the contributions expected from weapon systems being developed and being proposed for development, when each justifies a specific requirement or procurement to JSC and OSD. |
Closed – Not Implemented
As of August 17, 1993, DOD planned no action in response to this recommendation. In its official response to GAO and Capitol Hill, DOD stated that the services conducted the analyses that had been delegated to them to support the weapon systems. The analyses address target sets as well as missions, including close air support. A weapon system being developed or proposed for development would includes comparisons and contributions from other systems, and procurement programs readjust in recognition of the complementary systems. A cost and operational effectiveness analysis will be conducted for each system in development.
|
Full Report
Office of Public Affairs
Topics
Weapons systemsAir defense systemsAirborne operationsArmy procurementCombat readinessDefense contingency planningDefense procurementMilitary aircraftMilitary operationsReporting requirements