DoD’s portfolio of weapon system programs has grown at a pace that far exceeds available resources, and better program outcomes require discipline, accountability and fundamental changes in the acquisition environment, GAO told the Senate Armed Services Committee recently.
Over the next five years the department plans to invest close to $900 billion to develop and procure weapon systems, something GAO noted is the highest level of investment in two decades, and it further added that every dollar wasted there takes away from other priorities.
From 1992 to 2007, the estimated acquisition costs remaining for major weapons programs increased almost 120 percent, while the annual funding provided for these programs only increased 57 percent, according to GAO-08-782T.
It said that current programs are experiencing, on average, a 21-month delay in delivering initial capabilities to personnel, often forcing DoD to spend additional funds on maintaining legacy systems.
