United States General Accounting Office

GAO National Security and International

Affairs Division

March 1995 Systems Development and

Production Issue Area

Plan

Fiscal Years 1995-97

GAO/IAP-95-2

Foreword

The Systems Development and Production issue area is one of 35 issue

areas for which GAO periodically develops multiyear strategic plans.

Relying heavily on input from congressional committees, as well as

industry, academia, and agency officials and other experts, GAO develops

issue area plans to ensure that our resources are focused on the most

important concerns of the Congress.

For each issue area, GAO’s strategic plan describes the significance of the

issues, our objectives, and the focus of our work. GAO’s goal is to serve as a

source of timely, accurate information and unbiased analysis for

decisionmakers in the Congress and executive agencies. Our work results

in such products as reports, briefings, and testimonies.

The Systems Development and Production issue area reviews programs of

the Department of Defense (DOD), the individual military services, and

other supporting defense agencies. Its work focuses on (1) the justification

for new systems, (2) development and acquisition (or major modification)

of military weapon systems, and (3) DOD’s budgeting for its procurement

and research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) accounts. The

principal issues we cover are

• the adequacy of the justifications for systems selected for development or

modification;

• the efficient, effective, and economical acquisition of systems; and

• assurance that funds budgeted for procurement and for research,

development, test, and evaluation can be and should be spent as indicated.

In the pages that follow, we describe our key planned work on these

issues.

Page 1 GAO/IAP-95-2
Foreword

Because events may significantly affect even the best of plans, our

planning process allows for updating the plan and responding quickly to

emerging issues. If you have any questions or suggestions about this plan,

please call me at (202) 512-4841.

Louis J. Rodrigues

Director

Systems Development and Production Issues

Page 2 GAO/IAP-95-2
Contents

Foreword 1

Table I: Key Issues 4

Table II: Planned

Major Work

6

Table III: GAO

Contacts

7

Page 3 GAO/IAP-95-2
Table I: Key Issues

Issue Significance

Weapon systems justification: Is DOD

selecting for development only those

systems and modifications that are

adequately justified? 

The notion of an all-out confrontation in

Europe has given way to concerns over

regional instabilities. DOD is developing

new concepts and strategies. Justifications

for weapon systems must be revisited to

determine whether the systems will support

new strategies.

Many of the military systems that are in the planning stage or under development were

designed to counter a Soviet threat that no longer exists.

Weapon systems acquisition process: Is

DOD ensuring that systems are being

acquired in an efficient, effective, and

economical manner? 

adequate testing ensures that the system

will meet critical performance requirements.

Costs for systems continue to escalate.

Schedules for the delivery of systems

continue to slip.

Despite the many attempts at acquisition reform, significant problems continue to occur.

Major commitments to systems are still made before

Budget analysis: Do procurement and

RDT&E budgets reflect current needs and

should prior-year funds be rescinded? 

budgetary expenditures enables

identification of those that are unnecessary

and those that can be delayed.

Approximately $75 billion is requested each year for acquiring military systems and

support items. Analyzing planned

Page 4 GAO/IAP-95-2
Table I: Key Issues

Objectives Focus of Work

—Determine whether the justifications for new and modified systems are

reasonable and support the national military strategy.

—Determine whether DOD and the services have adequately considered

meeting stated requirements through alternative uses of or modifications to

current systems.

—Assess whether estimates of the current and future costs of planned

systems are reasonable, have considered all cost factors, and have been

appropriately reported.

—Reviews of the justifications and acquisition plans for

selected systems—for example, B-1B modifications, F-22,

F/A-18 E/F, JAST, Army helicopters (Comanche and

Apache Longbow), space systems, and Multiple Theater

Missile Defense Systems.

—Determine whether DOD and the services have selected the lowest risk

and least costly acquisition strategies consistent with the need for the

planned system or modification.

—Determine whether selected acquisition strategies commit the

government to production before sufficient testing is accomplished.

—Ensure that key acquisition milestone decisions are timely and

adequately supported.

—Identify whether technical problems identified in testing affect system

capability and costs.

—Ensure that the services coordinate the development of interrelated

systems in a manner that provides for ease of integration.

—Identify and report internal control weaknesses on individual systems that

result in fraudulent, wasteful, or abusive practices.

—Reviews of cost, schedule, and performance of

selected major system acquisitions and

modifications—for example, B-2, C-17, F-22, space

systems, precision-guided munitions, Tomahawk, Navy

Lower Tier, various C4I systems, unmanned aerial vehicle

programs, torpedoes, Armored Gun System, advanced

infrared countermeasures programs, and battlefield

digitization.

—Identify items in current budget requests that should be considered for

denial or reduction.

—Identify prior-year appropriations that could be rescinded. 

—Reviews of the procurement and RDT&E budget

accounts for aircraft, C4I, ships, ground and space

systems, missiles, munitions, and ballistic missile defense.

Page 5 GAO/IAP-95-2
Table II: Planned Major Work

Issue Planned Major Job Starts

Weapon system justification F-22a

—A helicopter

—Army’ water anti submarin for the

Army’s tact control vehicle pro system

—Acquisiti (e.g., antiradiatio missile

defense sys systems

—B-1B conventional mission upgrade program

—Planned procurement of thermy’s new light utilitys Chinook (CH-47D) helicopter

—Shallowe warfarea

—Mine protectionical vehicles

—Army’s command andgram

—Line-of-sight antitankon plans for selected U.S. missilesn and Tomahawk)

—Sea-based ballistictem

—Multiple theater missile defense

Weapon system acquisition process

training system by for the new attack

program

—Unmanned programs

—Army MI air-to-air missile

improvement plans f

—C-17 production improvements/affordabilitya

—B-2 acquisition cost

—Acquisition of joint primary aircraftthe Air Force and Navy

—Combat systemsubmarine

—Army’s armored gun system aerial vehicle

—AWACS improvementLSTAR terminals

—Advanced medium range

—Air Force, Navy, and Armyor precision-guided munitions

Budget analysis budget requests for

programsa

—DOD’s fiscal year 1996 RDT&E and procurement weapon systems and intelligence

aOngoing assignment

Page 6 GAO/IAP-95-2
Table III: GAO Contacts

Director Louis J. Rodrigues (202) 512-4841

Associate Directors Brad Hathaway (202) 512-4841

Thomas J. Schulz (202) 512-4841

Assistant Directors Thomas J. Denomme

John J. D’Esopo

Raymond Dunham

Jackie B. Guin (Huntsville)

Steven F. Kuhta

Howard R. Manning

Robert D. Murphy (Dayton)

James K. Spencer

Robert J. Stolba

Homer H. Thomson

William L. Wright, Jr. (Ft. Monmouth)

Page 7 GAO/IAP-95-2
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