**GAO-03-57**                      Published: Feb 11, 2003. Publicly Released: Feb 11, 2003.                  

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## Highlights

For fiscal year 2003, the Department of Defense (DOD) asked for about $185 billion to develop, procure, operate, and maintain its weapon systems. This request represents an increase of 18 percent since 2001 for the total ownership costs of DOD weapon systems. Often, DOD systems need expensive spare parts and support systems after they are fielded to meet required readiness levels. DOD has been increasingly concerned that the high cost of maintaining systems has limited its ability to modernize and invest in new weapons. This report examines the best practices of leading commercial firms to manage a product's total ownership costs and determines if those practices can be applied to DOD.

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## Topics

National Defense

Best practicesCost analysisDefense cost controlDefense procurementMaintenance costsPrivate sector practicesWeapons research and developmentWeapons systemsComparative benchmarking productsMilitary forces