Warfighter support
Subtitle: improvements to DOD's urgent needs processes would enhance oversight and expedite efforts to meet critical warfighter needs : report to the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senate
Contributors: Solis, William M.; United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Armed Services
Publisher: U.S. Govt. Accountability Office
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Washington, D.C.]
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] :
Number of pages: 75
Subjects: Armed Forces; Operational readiness; Procurement; Evaluation; Equipment and supplies; United States. Department of Defense; United States
Other titles: Warfighter support :; Improvements to DOD's urgent needs processes would enhance oversight and expedite efforts to meet critical warfighter needs
Description: Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have faced rapidly changing threats to mission failure or loss of life, highlighting the Department of Defense's (DOD) need to develop and field new capabilities more quickly than its usual acquisition procedures allow. Since 2006, Congress has provided nearly $16 billion to counter improvised explosive devices alone. GAO and others have reported funding, organizational, acquisition, and oversight issues involving DOD's processes for meeting warfighters' urgent needs. The Senate Armed Services Committee asked GAO to determine 1) the extent to which DOD has a means to assess the effectiveness of its urgent needs processes, and 2) what challenges, if any, have affected the overall responsiveness of DOD's urgent needs processes. To conduct this review GAO looked at three urgent needs processes, joint, Army, and the Marine Corps processes, visited forces overseas that submit urgent needs requests and receive solutions, and conducted 23 case studies. GAO recommends the Secretary of Defense take nine actions to improve DOD's ability to assess how well its processes are meeting critical warfighter needs, address challenges with training, make decisions about when to use its rapid acquisition authority, and make reprogramming decisions to expedite fielding of solutions. DOD generally concurred with our recommendations and noted actions to be taken.
Notes: Title from cover screen (GAO, viewed May 5, 2010).

"April 2010."

"GAO-10-460."

Includes bibliographical references.

System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.