NextGen is a multidecade, multiagency effort to transform the current ATC system to the next generation air transportation system by moving from relying largely on ground-based radars to using precision satellites; digital, networked communications; and an integrated weather system. Often characterized as “curb to curb,” NextGen involves every aspect of air transportation, from arrival at the airport to departure from the destination airport, and it is expected to increase the safety and enhance the capacity of the air transport system. JPDO was charged with coordinating the research activities of the federal partner agencies with the goal of developing a 20-year R&D agenda for NextGen. FAA will play the central role in implementing NextGen, since it will be responsible for acquiring, integrating, and operating the new ATC systems. Industry stakeholders will also play a key role in implementing NextGen because they are expected to develop, finance, and operate many of the new NextGen systems that will need to be installed in aircraft. FAA plans to spend roughly $5.4 billion from fiscal years 2009 through 2013 on NextGen development and capital costs. JPDO estimated that total federal spending for NextGen may range from $15 billion to $22 billion through 2025. The agency also noted that it expects system users to incur $14 billion to $20 billion in costs to equip themselves with the advanced avionics necessary to realize the full benefits of some NextGen technologies. JPDO’s authorizing legislation requires the office to create an R&D plan for the transition to NextGen. This requirement led JPDO to develop initial versions of the Concept of Operations, Enterprise Architecture, and IWP. The Concept of Operations is the fundamental planning document from which the other two documents flow. Version 2 of the Concept of Operations, issued in June 2007, describes how the NextGen system is envisioned to operate in 2025. Version 2 of the Enterprise Architecture, issued in July 2007, is a technical description of the NextGen system, akin to blueprints for a building. The Enterprise Architecture provides a means for coordinating among the partner agencies and private sector manufacturers, aligning relevant R&D activities, and integrating equipment. Version 0.2 of IWP describes the integrated framework needed to transition to NextGen from the current system to the end state and will continually be refined and enhanced to reflect current priorities, budgets, and programs. It is JPDO’s plan for achieving NextGen. Version 1.0 of IWP is scheduled to be released at the end of this month. JPDO, FAA, and industry stakeholders have different perspectives on whether the views of industry and air traffic controllers have been adequately incorporated in NextGen planning. JPDO’s organizational structure and processes provide for industry representatives and, to a lesser extent, air traffic controllers to participate in NextGen planning, but nearly all the industry stakeholders we spoke with questioned both the meaningfulness of their involvement and the usefulness of the NextGen planning documents. Furthermore, active air traffic controllers maintain that they have not participated in NextGen development activities. According to FAA, however, their involvement will increase as NextGen efforts shift from planning to implementation. JPDO includes several organizations with industry participants, and industry representatives have reviewed and provided input to key JPDO planning documents. For example, JPDO’s NextGen Institute serves as a vehicle for incorporating the expertise of industry, state and local governments, and academia into the NextGen planning process. Additionally, the Institute Management Council, composed of top officials and representatives from the aviation community, including air traffic controllers, oversees the policies, recommendations, and products of the Institute and provides a means for advancing consensus positions on critical NextGen issues. JPDO also includes nine working groups, through which federal and private sector stakeholders come together to plan for and coordinate the development of NextGen technologies. JDPO created the working groups in early 2007 to replace its integrated product teams and, in part, to address concerns expressed by stakeholders about their participation. Unlike the previous teams, which were chaired by a representative from a federal agency, the working groups, which have the same members as the previous teams, are jointly led by government and industry officials. (See table 1.) JPDO expected the working groups to be more efficient and output- or product-focused than the integrated product teams. Currently, 265 industry representatives participate in JPDO. In addition, JPDO provided a draft of the Concept of Operations and IWP to industry representatives for review and comment. For example, version 0.2 of IWP was circulated to stakeholders and, according to a senior JPDO official, the office received about 1,100 stakeholder comments, which were addressed and incorporated in version 1.0 of the document. With these efforts, JPDO has sought to obtain participation from industry stakeholders and air traffic controllers in its planning activities, and we have reported that many stakeholders felt they did have an opportunity to participate. In fact, one industry stakeholder group told us that it worked closely with JPDO to help revise an early version of the Concept of Operations. However, other stakeholders said they frequently attended meetings, but were frustrated by a lack of tangible products being developed and a lack of progress being made during these meetings. Furthermore, 13 of 15 stakeholders who discussed the issue stated that they did not feel that their level of participation in either JPDO’s planning for or FAA’s implementation of NextGen allowed for sufficient or meaningful input toward decision making. Some stakeholders expressed concern that JPDO and FAA did not include their input in planning documents and other products. In their view, critical issues they raised are not being addressed or incorporated in NextGen plans. In particular, some stakeholders noted that planning documents were drafted by JPDO staff and then provided to them for review and comment. This approach, one industry stakeholder noted, did not take full advantage of stakeholders’ capabilities. Others were critical of FAA’s decision-making structure for implementing NextGen and indicated they felt that FAA and JPDO should lay out the broad plans and schedules for NextGen and then obtain industry input on the best ways to accomplish the technical changes for NextGen. Another stakeholder indicated it had the opportunity to provide input to FAA on decisions such as the deployment of ADS-B technology, but did not feel its input was considered by the agency. Still others felt that FAA provided sufficient briefings on NextGen activities, but allowed no opportunity for their input or comments. A number of stakeholders also expressed concerns about the usefulness of JPDO’s three planning documents and of FAA’s implementation plan for NextGen (a document previously known as the Operational Evolution Partnership and now called the NextGen Implementation Plan). Nineteen of 21 industry stakeholders who discussed the issue said that these planning documents lack the information that industry participants need for successful planning. Many of the stakeholders we interviewed said that while the planning documents provide a high-level view of NextGen benefits, they do not provide specific details such as a catalog of critical needs, clearly defined and prioritized intermediate objectives, and a structured plan for achieving tangible results. According to stakeholders who manufacture aviation equipment, the plans lack specific details to inform them about the types of technology they need to design for NextGen or to provide insights to market, build, and install systems that support NextGen. Some industry stakeholders further noted that the current planning does not identify all of the key research for NextGen, establish priorities for R&D, or show how to obtain those results. In addition, several stakeholders characterized the documents as long and confusing—qualities that detracted from their usefulness. We agree that the latest publicly available versions of these documents lack information that various stakeholders need. For example, the documents do not include key elements such as scenarios illustrating NextGen operations; a summary of NextGen’s operational impact on users and other stakeholders; and an analysis of the benefits, alternatives, and trade-offs that were considered for NextGen. Our review of the upcoming version of IWP confirmed that it is to have information that is lacking in the current document. According to JPDO and FAA officials, it includes schedule information that has been updated to reflect newly available information, coordination with FAA’s schedule and plans, and revisions in response to public comments received on the previous version. In addition, a senior JPDO official noted and we agree that these documents are not the appropriate place for some of the detailed information stakeholders would like and need, such as specific information on the types of technology stakeholders need to design or install. Active air traffic controllers are represented on JPDO’s Institute Management Council, and other controllers and aviation technicians participate in certain JPDO efforts. However, stakeholders from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association—an FAA employee union— have indicated that although the union participates in FAA meetings and briefings related to NextGen, it does so as a recipient of information rather than an equal party in the development of NextGen. Technicians in another FAA employee union—the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists—have indicated that they do not participate in NextGen planning or development activities. Although air traffic controllers and technicians will be responsible for a major part of the installation, operations, and maintenance of the systems that NextGen will comprise, our work has shown that these stakeholders have not fully participated in the development of NextGen. Insufficient participation on the part of these employees could delay the certification and integration of new systems and result in increased costs, as we have seen in previous ATC modernization efforts. FAA officials, however, note that both unions are represented on its NextGen Management Board, a decision-making body for resolving emerging NextGen implementation issues. Furthermore, FAA has indicated that air traffic controllers, pilots, and airline operations center personnel will be a part of the extended team that is directly involved in the planning and execution of a gradual rollout of NextGen technologies and procedures in a Florida demonstration.