Next Generation Air Transportation System: Challenges with Partner Agency and FAA Coordination Continue, and Efforts to Integrate Near-, Mid-, and Long-term Activities Are Ongoing
Published: 2010-04-21T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: To prepare for future air traffic growth, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including its Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) and Air Traffic Organization, is planning and implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) in partnership with other federal agencies, such as the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and Homeland Security, and the aviation industry. NextGen will transform the current radar-based air traffic control system into a satellite-based system. As FAA begins implementing near-and midterm NextGen capabilities, a key challenge will be the extent to which FAA is able to integrate near and midterm improvements (those between 2012 and 2018) with long-term plans (beyond 2018). Furthermore, coordination among federal partner agencies and among various lines of business within FAA is important to ensure that NextGen implementation efforts are aligned. GAO's testimony focuses on (1) current mechanisms for and challenges to coordination among FAA and its partner agencies in implementing NextGen, (2) challenges and ongoing efforts to improve coordination across offices within FAA, and (3) issues related to integrating near- and midterm implementation plans with long-term NextGen plans. This statement is based on past and ongoing GAO work, and interviews GAO conducted with senior agency officials at FAA, JPDO and its partner agencies, and selected industry stakeholders.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: Several mechanisms to facilitate coordination on NextGen activities among partner agencies and across FAA exist, but challenges to this coordination remain. One interagency coordination mechanism is the Senior Policy Committee, which is the high-level coordinating body across all of the partner agencies. In addition, JPDO is tasked with facilitating day-to-day interagency coordination, and has several mechanisms, including working groups and research transition teams, to accomplish this. GAO has previously reported that a lack of stable leadership and ambiguity surrounding JPDO's organizational position and ongoing role have contributed to the uneven performance of its coordination mechanisms. Recent changes in both the leadership and organizational position of JPDO could improve coordination across partner agencies. Stakeholders and partner agencies identified several other challenges to improving interagency coordination and collaboration, including (1) limited funding and staffing to dedicate to NextGen activities, (2) competing mission priorities, and (3) undefined near-term roles and responsibilities of some partner agencies. FAA also faces challenges coordinating the implementation of NextGen across multiple FAA offices. GAO has previously reported that shifting from an organization focused on system acquisition to one focused on integration and coordination will be an ongoing challenge for FAA. Recent organizational changes that solidify the FAA Deputy Administrator as the key executive in charge of NextGen may help address these challenges. Moreover, FAA has made progress in improving coordination of efforts within FAA, by coordinating some office functions and moving toward a portfolio approach for implementation. However, as all these changes have recently occurred, it is too early to measure their success. Integration of midterm implementation plans with the long-term plans and vision for NextGen is currently an ongoing effort within FAA. FAA officials and several stakeholders described FAA's near- and midterm efforts--such as implementing satellite-based surveillance of aircraft--as necessary stepping-stones to the long-term plans and vision of NextGen--such as aircraft operators receiving satellite surveillance information in the cockpit and using it to self-separate from surrounding aircraft. Early success in implementing NextGen capabilities will help build confidence among aircraft operators that FAA can and will provide the operational improvements necessary for operators to realize benefits from their equipment investments. However, some stakeholders expressed concern that near- and midterm implementation efforts are not integrated well enough with the long-term vision. Stakeholders identified key policy decisions that will affect the vision of the NextGen system over the long term and in turn determine whether programs, technologies, and capabilities implemented today will be the stepping-stones to future, more advanced capabilities. Key decisions include such issues as the installation of aircraft equipment, expediting environmental reviews, and the extent to which additional airport capacity will be needed.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today on interagency  coordination and the integration of current implementation activities and  long-term planning efforts to transform the current air traffic control  system to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).  NextGen is an enormously complex undertaking that requires new  integrated systems, procedures, aircraft performance capabilities, and  supporting infrastructure to create an air transportation system that uses  satellite-based surveillance and navigation and network-centric  operations. NextGen is intended to improve the efficiency and capacity of  the air transportation system so that it can accommodate anticipated  future growth. By 2025, air traffic is projected to increase up to three times  the current level. Today’s U.S. air transportation system will not be able to  meet these air traffic demands, and improvements to the national airspace  system are needed to mitigate the potential increase in flight delays that  are likely to occur as air traffic grows and the potential decrease in  economic productivity resulting from more delay and congestion in the  system.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the lead implementer for  NextGen. Recently, FAA has emphasized improvements that can be  implemented in the near and midterm, which FAA defines as between 2010  and 2018. Recognizing the importance of near- and midterm solutions,  FAA requested that RTCA Inc. create a NextGen Midterm Implementation  Task Force (the Task Force), composed of industry stakeholders, to reach  consensus within the aviation community on the operational  improvements that can be implemented between 2009 and 2018. The Task  Force provided recommendations to FAA in September 2009, and FAA  provided responses to all of the Task Force recommendations in its 2010  NextGen Implementation Plan, and is continuing to work with industry  through RTCA on addressing the recommendations as implementation  continues. The FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) is responsible for  implementing near- and midterm NextGen improvements identified in the  2010 NextGen Implementation Plan in conjunction with other FAA lines of  business. The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) within FAA  is responsible for long-term planning and coordination with federal  partner agencies. According to the Task Force and other stakeholders, as  FAA begins implementing near- and midterm capabilities, a key challenge  will be integrating those improvements with long-term plans and ensuring  that work is under way now to realize capabilities envisioned in the future.  Furthermore, coordination among federal partner agencies, as well as  coordination among the various offices within FAA with responsibility for  NextGen and among industry stakeholders, is important to ensure that  implementation efforts within FAA are aligned and that the research and  development and other NextGen activities carried out by partners and  stakeholders are aligned with FAA’s near-, mid-, and long-term plans.
My testimony this afternoon addresses (1) current mechanisms for and  challenges to coordination among FAA and its partner agencies in  implementing NextGen over the near, mid-, and long terms; (2) challenges  and ongoing efforts to improve coordination among offices within FAA;  and (3) issues related to integrating near- and midterm implementation  plans with long-term NextGen plans. My statement is based on our prior  NextGen-related reports and testimonies, which are listed at the end of  this statement. My statement is also based on ongoing work that includes  our analysis of documents provided by FAA, JPDO, and its partner  agencies, including key implementation documents such as the NextGen  Implementation Plan and JPDO’s Integrated Work Plan; interviews we  conducted with senior agency officials at FAA, JPDO, and partner  agencies; and interviews with industry stakeholders, including officials of  the National Air Traffic Controller Association, RTCA, MITRE  Corporation, the Aerospace Industries Association, and Boeing. We  provided a draft of this statement to FAA and RTCA for comment and  received technical comments from both organizations, which we  incorporated as appropriate. We conducted our work in accordance with  generally accepted government auditing standards. Additional information  on the scope and methodology of our previous NextGen-related reports  and testimonies is available in each product.
subsections: section_title: FAA Has Established Several Mechanisms to Facilitate Coordination on NextGen Activities among Partner Agencies, but Several Challenges Exist
subsections: section_title: Several Mechanisms Are in Place to Facilitate Coordination
paragraphs: Several mechanisms to facilitate coordination among FAA and partner  agencies – including interagency committees, advisory boards, and  working groups – are in place. First, the Senior Policy Committee, as the  interagency governing body for NextGen, is meant to facilitate  coordination and planning on NextGen across federal agencies. Chaired by  the Secretary of Transportation, the Senior Policy Committee includes  senior representatives from the NextGen partner agencies. Among its key  activities, this committee works to provide policy guidance, resolve major  policy issues, and identify and align resource needs. FAA and other  partner agency officials indicated that the Senior Policy Committee has  met infrequently. The Senior Policy Committee held their first full  committee meeting under the new Administration in September 2009.  According to the JPDO Director, JPDO is working closely with the Senior  Policy Committee to establish a process for the committee to operate  more effectively by providing it with the ability to review interagency  dependencies such as FAA’s reliance on NASA research, develop a  NextGen road map, and establish a set of high-level milestones—which it  currently does not have—as well as conduct oversight of NextGen  progress.
In addition to the Senior Policy Committee, several other interagency  coordination mechanisms are in place to facilitate coordination among  FAA and partner agencies, many of which are within JPDO. These include  the JPDO Board and the JPDO Division Directors Group, each of which is  composed of representatives from other federal agencies and FAA. The  JPDO Board functions as an adjunct to the Senior Policy Committee and  includes representatives from each of the partner agencies.  Representatives on the JPDO Board work on actionable outcomes related  to NextGen. The Division Directors are responsible for the planning and  managing of NextGen. JPDO also has organized nine working groups  composed of representatives from federal agencies and industry  stakeholders to specialize in developing NextGen’s key capabilities, along  with recommendations and action plans to be integrated into NextGen  planning. Continued industry participation in JPDO Working Groups –  which is provided pro-bono – is a challenge given the current business  climate and companies’ participation in numerous aviation forums.
FAA and NASA also participate on four JPDO research transition teams  that have been established to ensure that research and development  needed for NextGen implementation is identified, conducted, and  effectively transitioned to the implementing agency. In previous work, we  discussed the formation of these teams, but as they had just been  established, noted that their potential effectiveness was unclear. In that  work we also identified key challenges in coordinating research, including  gaps in funding for needed research and prioritization of research needs.  According to the former Director of JPDO and NASA officials, the teams  have been useful vehicles for identifying research needs and potential  gaps; however, some teams are further along in terms of their involvement  among the agencies and their deliverables than others. Although other  agencies do not currently participate on these research transition teams,  NASA agency officials reported that the structure could provide a model  for future coordination across agencies.
Other arenas where interagency coordination can take place also exist.  For example, the NextGen Management Board, which will be chaired by  FAA’s newly appointed Deputy Administrator and has representatives  from all key FAA lines of business, addresses interagency collaboration on  key issues such as maintaining the integrity of information shared through  NextGen systems. A liaison from DOD sits on the NextGen Management  Board.
section_title: Several Challenges Impede Cross-Agency Coordination
paragraphs: Our past work identified several leadership and organizational challenges  in ensuring coordination across partner agencies. First, we have reported  that while JPDO has been in place for several years, the office has  experienced a high leadership turnover rate. In 2010, a new JPDO  Director was appointed, the office’s fourth Director in its 7 years of  existence. The lack of stable leadership has made it a challenge for JPDO  to move forward on many goals and objectives. Second, in March of 2009,  we reported that changes to JPDO’s organizational position placing it  within ATO could be an impediment to partner agency coordination, as it  created ambiguity about JPDO’s role and it lowered JPDO’s status in the  eyes of stakeholders. Moreover, the creation of a staff to support the  Senior Policy Committee resulting from a November 2008 Executive Order  caused further confusion regarding roles and responsibilities relative to  federal partner agencies. Third, with the ATO focused on implementing  capabilities through the midterm, JPDO’s role was shifted to a focus on the  long term beyond 2018. According to stakeholders and partner agency  officials we interviewed for this work, given JPDO’s long-term focus, it has  largely not been involved in ATO’s current near- and midterm activities,  despite being placed organizationally within ATO. As a result, participation  by the partner agencies in those activities is also limited. Agency officials  stated that it is important for JPDO to be involved in near- and midterm  activities as well as long-term planning to ensure that effective interagency  coordination on NextGen is in place.
Recent changes in the leadership and organizational position of JPDO are  likely to change the nature of the relationship among JPDO, FAA, and its  partner agencies and hold promise for increased coordination. JPDO has  been elevated from its previous position within ATO and is now situated  within FAA and outside of ATO, as illustrated in figure 1.
The JPDO Director now reports directly to the Deputy FAA  Administrator—who serves as the head of the NextGen Management  Board—as well as serving as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of  Transportation. JPDO is also more closely aligned and is in a position to  have a more active role with the Senior Policy Committee. This new  structure removes the reporting relationship between JPDO and the Chief  Operating Officer of ATO, and gives JPDO more visibility within the  organization and with federal partners and other stakeholders. With these  organizational moves, JPDO is expected to become a better conduit for  monitoring cross-agency budgets and facilitating cross-agency  collaborations and long-term research planning. Moreover, many of the  key mechanisms for agency coordination, such as research transition  teams, are within JPDO, and are likely to be affected by the move.  According to the new Director of JPDO, a key step in improving the  coordination with partner agencies will be to determine what value they  see in the work produced by JPDO. As these changes have just recently  occurred, it remains to be seen if the changes will result in better  coordination across the partner agencies.
In addition to these leadership and structural issues, stakeholders and  representatives of the partner agencies identified other broad challenges  that affect the extent to which some partner agencies have coordinated  with others. These challenges include (1) limited funding and staffing to  dedicate to NextGen activities, (2) competing mission priorities, and (3)  undefined near-term roles and responsibilities of some partner agencies.
Limited funding and staffing to dedicate to NextGen activities.
Industry stakeholders and agency officials we spoke to stated that some  partner agencies’ ability to coordinate with other agencies was affected by  the levels of funding and staff that could be dedicated to NextGen  activities. Officials at some partner agencies we spoke with stated that  partner agencies allocated little or no budgetary funding specifically for  NextGen activities and because of competing priorities for funds, they  were limited in the resources they could dedicate to NextGen planning and  coordination efforts. With respect to future investments, according to  JPDO and DOT data, in fiscal year 2011, among NextGen partner agencies,  three—FAA, NASA, and the Department of Commerce’s NOAA—requested  some funding for NextGen activities. DOD and DHS did not request  funding in their budgets specifically for NextGen activities. OSTP is  working with the Office of Management and Budget to improve agency  alignment and identification of NextGen-related budgets.
Differences in agency mission. Differences among agencies’ mission  priorities, particularly DHS’s and DOD’s, also pose a challenge to  coordination efforts. DHS’s diverse set of mission priorities, ranging from  aviation security to border protection, affects its level of involvement in  NextGen activities. For example, events such as the 2009 Christmas Day  terrorism attempt can shift DHS priorities quickly and move the agency  away from focusing on issues such as NextGen, which are not as critical at  that particular time. Agency officials also stated that although different  departments within DHS are involved in related NextGen activities, such  as security issues, the fact that NextGen implementation is not a  formalized mission in DHS can affect DHS’s level of participation in  NextGen activities. Industry stakeholders told us that there are potential  consequences if DHS is not involved in long-term NextGen planning,  including potentially marginalizing DHS’s NextGen areas, such as aviation  security. Industry stakeholders reported that FAA could more effectively  engage partner agencies in long-term planning by aligning implementation  activities to agency mission priorities and by obtaining agency buy-in for  actions required to transform the national airspace system.
Undefined near-term roles and responsibilities of partner agencies.  Some stakeholders and agency officials told us that FAA could do more to  clearly define each partner agency’s role in key planning documents that  guide NextGen implementation efforts, particularly in the near term. Our  work has shown that coordinating agencies should work together to  define and agree on their respective roles and responsibilities, including  how the coordination effort will be led. We reported in 2008 that a key  intended purpose of these planning documents, according to JPDO  officials, is to provide the means for coordinating among the partner  agencies and to identify each agency’s role in implementing NextGen  capabilities, but that stakeholders said that the planning documents did  not provide guidance for their organizational decision making. Some  stakeholders and agency officials we spoke to more recently told us that  the NextGen Implementation Plan, which identifies near- and midterm  implementation efforts, still does not specify how partner agencies will be  involved or what outcomes are required from them. Another industry  stakeholder explained that if partner agencies do not see their roles  reflected in key planning documents, projects which depend on inter- agency coordination will not be fully integrated across all partner  agencies. One area in particular where coordination is important is related  to how FAA, DOD, and DHS information networks will share information  in the future to allow for a shared awareness of the national airspace.  Information sharing across agencies is necessary for such things as  advanced capabilities related to optimizing the use of certain airspace by  the diverse set of users under the auspices of these agencies (e.g. military  aircraft, commercial aircraft, general aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles,  etc.). Protocols and requirements for inter-agency information sharing  have yet to be determined. Limited agency participation in near-term  coordination efforts, including establishing protocols on information  sharing across agencies, could hamper coordination over the long term.
Both the House and Senate FAA reauthorization bills include provisions  for improving coordination among partner agencies that could address, in  part, some of the challenges identified by industry stakeholders and  agency officials. Some of the related provisions in the bills call for,  among other things, revised memorandums of understanding with partner  agencies that describe the respective responsibilities of each agency,  including budgetary commitments.
section_title: It Is Too Early to Determine Whether FAA Steps to Improve Coordination for NextGen among FAA Offices Will Be Effective
paragraphs: Stakeholders we spoke to cited challenges with coordinating the  implementation of NextGen capabilities across FAA lines of business. With  multiple FAA lines of business responsible for various NextGen activities,  including offices within ATO and outside ATO, coordination and  integration is vital since delays in actions required from several offices  could prevent or delay full realization of NextGen benefits. Shifting from  an organization and culture focused on system acquisition to one focused  on integration and coordination will be an ongoing challenge for FAA.
Recent organizational changes may help address these issues, but it is too  early to measure the success of these efforts. As previously discussed and  as shown in figure 1, changes that move JPDO out of the ATO and create a  direct reporting relationship to the FAA Deputy Administrator solidify the  FAA Deputy Administrator as the key executive in charge of NextGen. The  FAA Deputy Administrator has authority over the different lines of  business that must work together to implement NextGen and, as chairman  of the NextGen Management Board, has the authority to force timely  resolution of emerging NextGen implementation issues. Both the House  and Senate reauthorization bills include provisions to designate a single  official in charge of NextGen. The House bill proposes designating the  Director of JPDO as the Associate Administrator for the Next Generation  Air Transportation System, while the Senate bill proposes creating a  Chief NextGen Officer who would oversee all NextGen programs and  JPDO. Because the Deputy Administrator position has not yet been  confirmed, it is too early to tell how effective these organizational  relationships will be in addressing concerns from industry and the  Congress regarding who is in charge of NextGen and whether that official  has sufficient authority and accountability to ensure effective  implementation.
Because these changes have just occurred, it is not yet clear whether they will be  sufficient to address the problems cited by the Task Force. authority over activities across FAA, or that suitable oversight  mechanisms exist in order to ensure timely implementation of all activities  necessary for an operational improvement. As a result, these issues could  slow the implementation of NextGen.
section_title: Integration of Near- and Midterm Implementation Plans with Long-term Plans Is Ongoing
paragraphs: FAA officials and several stakeholders we interviewed described FAA’s  near- and midterm efforts as necessary stepping-stones to the long-term  plans and vision for NextGen. Early success in implementing key NextGen  capabilities desired by aircraft operators will help build confidence among  operators that FAA can and will provide the operational improvements  necessary for operators to realize benefits from their equipment  investments.
From a planning perspective, integration of near- and midterm  implementation plans with the long-term plans and vision for NextGen is  currently an ongoing effort within the FAA. As previously mentioned, near-  and midterm implementation is guided by the 2010 NextGen  Implementation Plan, which feeds into FAA’s Enterprise Architecture for  the national airspace system. Supporting the NextGen Implementation  plan are two more detailed plans - Segment A, which defines detailed  activities through 2015, to be completed later this quarter, which will then  be followed by Segment B, which defines NextGen through 2018.  These  plans will identify in great detail the specific actions that must take place  in order to implement the identified capabilities. The long-term vision and  initial planning for NextGen took place within JPDO and resulted in the  overall Concept of Operations, the NextGen Enterprise Architecture, and  an accompanying Integrated Work Plan (IWP). The IWP sought to  identify all of the envisioned NextGen capabilities through the long term  and also lays out the enabling activities believed necessary to achieve  those capabilities (e.g., necessary research and development, policy  development, and so forth). Currently, according to a senior FAA official,  the operational improvements identified in the 2010 NextGen  Implementation Plan and FAA’s Enterprise Architecture have been aligned  with the operational improvements identified in the NextGen Enterprise  Architecture and the IWP. However, the enabling activities necessary to  achieve those capabilities have yet to be fully aligned. Various ATO offices  and JPDO are currently developing agreements that will set forth how the  offices will work together to fully align all of the enabling activities across  the various planning documents. The effort to align the rest of the enabling  activities is expected to be completed in late fiscal year 2010, according to  a senior FAA official.
Some stakeholders expressed concern that near- and midterm programs  and capabilities are not connected well enough to the long-term vision and  identified several key policy decisions that will affect the vision of the  NextGen system and thus will determine whether programs, technologies,  and capabilities implemented today will be the stepping-stones to future,  more advanced capabilities. Three of these decisions that will have a  major impact on the direction of near- and midterm implementation efforts  as well as the long-term vision involve issues such as the scope and timing  of installing necessary equipment on aircraft, expediting environmental  reviews, and the extent to which additional airport capacity will be  needed.
Equipping aircraft. FAA has yet to develop a strategy for the timing,  cost, and scope of equipping the nation’s aircraft fleet. In particular, FAA  must focus on delivering near-term operational benefits by completing  activities, such as procedure development, airspace redesign, performance  standard development, and separation standard reduction, that lay the  foundation for NextGen. Doing so will help provide incentives for users,  especially commercial airlines, to invest in equipment for their aircraft.  Two key decisions that must be considered are whether all aircraft need to  be equipped at all locations and when equipping with various technologies  should occur. FAA must align aircraft equipping rules and incentives in a  way that minimizes the costs and maximizes the overall benefits of  NextGen. We have previously reported that, in some cases, the federal  government may deem financial or other incentives desirable to speed the  deployment of new equipment and that appropriate incentives will depend  on the technology and the potential for an adequate and timely return on  public and private investment.
Environmental approach. FAA has yet to make decisions regarding how  environmental reviews can be expedited and what strategies might be  needed to meet national environmental targets. We previously reported  that differing levels of review must be completed depending on the extent  FAA deems its actions to have significant environmental impact, and that  the more extensive the analysis required, the longer the process can take,  which can thus affect implementation of NextGen capabilities. A key  question in this regard is how to appropriately and expeditiously review  actions that may increase noise in some areas but also reduce emissions  and reduce noise levels overall. Further, a balance will need to be struck  between needs for increased capacity, which means more aircraft will be  flying and releasing emissions, and potential environmental targets in the  future. A key issue here is that although NextGen will increase the  efficiency per flight (fuel burn, distance traveled, and emissions), because  there are expected to be more total flights, greenhouse gas emissions in  total may rise.
Airport capacity. A national policy regarding airport capacity in key  metropolitan areas will need to be determined. Even with current planned  airport expansion, FAA expects capacity shortfalls in many of the nation’s  busiest airports. NextGen alone is not likely to sufficiently expand the  safety and capacity of the national airspace system. Decisions regarding  using existing capacity more efficiently include certifying and approving  standards for the use of closely spaced parallel runways—which will be a  major driver of the amount of land needed to expand airport capacity and  will determine capacity in some metropolitan areas—and developing  policies that address situations when demand exceeds capacity at airports  or in specific airspace (e.g., pricing, administrative rules, service priorities,  and so forth). Furthermore, planning infrastructure projects to increase  capacity, such as building additional runways, can take as long as a decade  or more, and will require substantial planning and safety and cost  analyses.
JPDO and MITRE are currently conducting modeling work to examine  benefits, costs, and risks associated with alternative assumptions  regarding various future scenarios. This work will provide important  information to stakeholders and decision makers regarding the validation  of the benefits of NextGen capabilities, as well as the extent to which  further capacity in the system may be required, and is still in the  preliminary stages.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I would be pleased to answer  any questions that you or members of the subcommittee may have at this  time.
section_title: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: For further information on this testimony, please contact Gerald L.  Dillingham, Ph.D., at (202) 512-2834 or dillinghamg@gao.gov. Individuals  making key contributions to this testimony include Andrew Von Ah  (Assistant Director), Kieran McCarthy, Richard Scott, Maria Mercado,  Kevin Egan, Dominic Nadarski, Delwen Jones, Amy Abramowitz, and Bert  Japikse.
section_title: Related GAO Products
paragraphs: Next Generation Air Transportation System: FAA Faces Challenges in  Responding to Task Force Recommendations. GAO-10-188T. Washington,  D.C.: October 28, 2009.
Responses to Questions for the Record: March 18, 2009, Hearing on ATC  Modernization: Near-Term Achievable Goals. GAO-09-718R. Washington,  D.C.: May 20, 2009.
Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status of Transformation  and Issues Associated with Midterm Implementation of Capabilities.  GAO-09-479T. Washington D.C.: March 18, 2009.
Responses to Questions for the Record: February 11, 2009, Hearing on  the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009. GAO-09-467R. Washington, D.C.:  March 10, 2009.
Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status of Systems  Acquisition and the Transition to the Next Generation Air  Transportation System. GAO-08-1078. Washington, D.C.: September 11,  2008.
Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status of Key Issues  Associated with the Transition to NextGen. GAO-08-1154T. Washington,  D.C.: September 11, 2008.
Joint Planning and Development Office: Progress and Key Issues in  Planning the Transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation  System. GAO-07-693T. Washington, D.C.: March 2007.
Next Generation Air Transportation System: Progress and Challenges  Associated with the Transformation of the National Airspace System.  GAO-07-25. Washington, D.C.: November 13, 2006.
Results Oriented Government: Practices That Can Help Enhance and  Sustain Collaboration among Federal Agencies. GAO-06-15. Washington,  D.C.: October 21, 2005.
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