The Government Accountability Office has called for further management and oversight changes in the Department of Defense’s effort to modernize attack-warning systems in its Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center.
It said the center contains computer systems for tracking air, missile and space events that could pose a threat, and that the Air Force, in charge of upgrading the system through the Combatant Commanders’ Integrated Command and Control System program — is over cost, behind schedule, and that capabilities have been deferred indefinitely.
The Air Force currently projects program costs to reach $707 million through fiscal 2006 — a 51 percent increase over initial estimates – schedules have expanded significantly, and most critical mission capabilities will not be delivered in fiscal 2006 as planned, according to GAO-06-666.
It said that since the program began in 2000, the Air Force has added, removed and modified requirements without adequately determining the effect on resources.
Further, the Air Force has deferred work in an attempt to control cost growth and has not yet determined the cost of completing it, and GAO said several key controls needed to mitigate the CCIC2S program’s cost and schedule problems are not in place.
DoD has not designated the CCIC2S program as a major automated information system acquisition, which would have required greater oversight than the ineffective oversight thus far, GAO said.
It said however that DoD officials are taking actions to implement better controls and determine whether the program should be categorized as a major acquisition.
