Premise: In response to a request from the Chairman and the Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Senate Committee on Armed Services, GAO (1) assessed the impact of design and manufacturing knowledge on DOD program outcomes, (2) compared best practices to those used in DOD programs, and (3) analyzed current weapon system acquisition guidance for applicability of best practices to obtain better program outcomes.

Hypothesis: GAO assessed the impact of design on DOD budget reduction outcomes.
Relation: neutral