Defense Acquisitions: The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle Encountered Difficulties in Design Demonstration and Faces Future Risks

In providing comments regarding this recommendation, DOD fully concurred with GAO's recommendation. The EFV program did not achieve the Milestone C decision as planned due to less than predicted reliability performance during an operational assessment conducted from January to September 2006. Currently, the program is being restructured due to reliability issues with the EFV design and a Nunn-McCurdy unit cost breach. A follow-on system development and demonstration phase will be conducted and a new set of EFV prototypes will be built and tested, delaying the Milestone C decision by about four years. In addition, the EFV program office has executed a work share teaming arrangement between General Dynamics and the 309th Maintenance Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah for the system development and demonstration software development efforts. The EFV program office efforts are consistent with GAO's recommendation. GAO will continue to monitor DOD's efforts to restructure the EFV program.

In providing comments regarding this recommendation, DOD fully concurred with GAO's recommendation. To address this recommendation the EFV program office worked with Navy, Marine Corps, and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense( Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics)to refine program strategy options, risks, and issues. The Navy commissioned a Blue Ribbon Panel to conduct a comprehensive review of the program and to assess the duration of developmental efforts to achieve program objectives. Additionally, the DOD's Cost Analysis Improvement Group reviewed the EFV program and developed an independent estimate of Research, Test, Development, and Evaluation, procurement, and military construction costs and resource requirements for the Nunn-McCurdy certification process and found the estimates to be reasonable. GAO will continue to monitor DOD's efforts to restructure the EFV program.

In providing comments regarding this recommendation, DOD fully concurred with GAO's recommendation. In addressing this recommendation and asserting its business case for the EFV program, DOD in its Nunn-McCurdy certification to the Congress certified that the restructured EFV program: (1)was essential to the National Security; (2) there are no alternatives to such acquisition program which will provide equal or greater military capability at less cost; (3)the new estimates of the program acquisition unit cost or procurement unit cost for such program are reasonable; and (4)the management structure for such acquisition program is adequate to manage and control program acquisition unit cost or procurement unit cost. DOD's efforts are consistent with GAO's recommendation. GAO will continue to monitor DOD's efforts to restructure the EFV program.

In providing comments regarding this recommendation, DOD fully concurred with GAO's recommendation. In addressing this recommendation the EFV program office has drafted an updated EFV case study for use in training managers, which is currently being staffed with DAU instructors. The updated case study will incorporate new information garnered during the Nunn-McCurdy certification efforts. The revised curriculum is expected to be included in the DAU curriculum this fall for training program managers. The EFV program office's actions are consistent with GAO's recommendations.