The acquisition misadventures of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program have been well-documented. In development for nearly 15 years and four years behind schedule, the program is currently projected to cost $391.1 billion for 2,457 aircraft, or 68 percent more than its original estimate of $233 billion. An April 2015 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report noted that the lifetime operation and maintenance costs of the most expensive weapon system in history will total approximately $1 trillion.
Acquisition Reform Proposal Makes Waves
Acquisition horror stories are nothing new at the Department of Defense (DOD). The three most costly recent mishaps include the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is approximately $170 billion over budget and has encountered numerous problems with its software and engine design. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (ATL) Frank Kendall referred to the purchase of the F-35 as “acquisition malpractice” in February 2014. The Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship has also faced its share of problems, including concerns over its survivability, inadequate firepower, and corrosion due to a design flaw.
End the Pentagon Slush Fund
Created in 2001 to fund the war in Afghanistan and other associated costs of the Global War on Terror, the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account was intended to be a one-time emergency supplemental. Instead, it has been used as an annual funding measure, including in 2003, when the U.S. invaded Iraq.
Prime Cuts 2015: Bipartisan Proposals Included
After expanding control of the House of Representatives and taking over the Senate in the November 2014 elections, Republicans have a clear mandate to reduce spending.
Surprising Republican Support for the Return of Earmarks
During a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting on November 14, 2014, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) proposed reinstituting earmarks for “state, locality (including county and city governments), or a public utility or other public entity.” His effort had startlingly significant amount of support in the Republican caucus: the proposal was defeated by a vote of 145-67. Rep. Rogers’ act netted him the dubious honor of being named Citizen Against Government Waste (CAGW)’s “Porker of the Month” for November 2014. Rep. Rogers is a repeat offender, also earning the award in April 2012, after his first failed attempt to end the earmark ban on March 30, 2012.
Procurement Legacies of the Afghan War
One of the most vivid and enduring images of the U.S. departure from Vietnam remains the Navy offloading perfectly good helicopters into the South China Sea as the last of its ships sailed away. The ongoing U.S. exodus from Afghanistan has produced a similar moment, albeit for a less useful aircraft.
Rocket Monopoly
In the private sector, monopolies can charge consumers as much as they like due to a lack of competition. When the government creates a monopoly through the use of a sole source contract, the taxpayers get stuck with the tab.
The Cost of Free
Clay County, Missouri Police Captain Matt Hunter described his department’s new acquisition, a 54,000-pound, 10-foot tall vehicle known as a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP), as a “$750,000 machine that we got for absolutely nothing…taxpayers didn’t have to pay anything for it.”
Presumptive Nominee Faces Scrutiny
The leading candidate to replace Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the outgoing Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), is Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Army Intelligence Lt. Gen. Mary Legere. However, she may have a tough confirmation battle on her hands, thanks to longstanding support for a troubled Army intelligence platform, the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS-A). The system has been under development for more than a decade, has cost taxpayers approximately $6 billion, and is failing in its primary functions.
Murkowski’s Folly
The first rule of communications is crafting an effective message.
A March 11, 2014 op-ed in the Los Angeles Times by former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt provided a unique glimpse into how messaging used by politicians can shift over time. The editorial detailed the push in the 1990s by former Senators Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to build a 38-mile road connecting the Alaskan towns of King Cove and Cold Bay. Opposed by the Clinton administration, the idea was to expedite the movement of seafood from the salmon canneries in King Cove to the airport in Cold Bay for distribution.