U.S. Special Operations Forces: Helicopter Cost Is Understated and Reliability Measures Are Inadequate
NSIAD-94-46
Published: Jan 25, 1994. Publicly Released: Jan 25, 1994.
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Highlights
GAO reviewed the Army Special Operations Forces Helicopter Program, focusing on whether the: (1) U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has provided Congress with appropriate program cost information; and (2) Army's reliability measures for the MH-47E and MH-60K helicopters are adequate.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Commander-in-Chief, USSOCOM, to develop life-cycle cost estimates for the MH-47E and MH-60k as required by DOD Instruction 5000.2 and provide these estimates to Congress, as well as life-cycle cost estimates for all future special operations procurements. |
DOD does not agree with the recommendation and therefore has no intention of acting upon it. This is the second report in which GAO made this or similar recommendations and DOD has stated that it does not believe that Congress needs this information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should establish mean time between mission affecting failure as the primary reliability criterion for releasing the helicopters for mission use and include all aircraft survivability equipment as essential equipment in assessing the helicopter's reliability. |
The Army and DOD did not concur with the recommendation and have no intention of taking any action.
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Topics
Army procurementFuture budget projectionsHelicoptersSpecial forcesLife cycle costsMilitary aircraftMilitary budgetsMilitary cost controlMilitary operationsProduct evaluationResearch and development costs