The concept that federal information technology (IT) procurement should be technology and vendor neutral is among the best practices for federal government agencies. However, when a large federal agency issues an exceptionally large cloud contract to a predetermined vendor for a specific technology solution without competitive bidding, such a contract is neither technology nor vendor […]
The VA Scandal Refuses to End
Countless investigations over the past decade have exposed a systemic cancer of mismanagement, neglect, and failure at the VA.
The Highs and Lows of the 2018 NDAA
On November 16, 2017, the Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2018 was sent to President Trump to sign into law after swiftly passing both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The NDAA authorizes defense spending levels and prioritizes how the money will be spent at the […]
Lethal Fatigues, Grounded Aircraft in Afghanistan
A July 30, 2017 Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report noted that the U.S. has spent $714 billion in Afghanistan since 2001. An expenditure this large is unfortunately suspect to waste, especially in a warzone. Sure enough, over the years, examples of misuse of taxpayer money have surfaced. The latest example was revealed […]
Serving Our National Security on a Silver Platter: Open Source Code in the 2018 NDAA
Deep in the depths of the Senate-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, provisions have been injected that could harm already vulnerable Department of Defense (DOD) information technology (IT) systems and place national security at risk. Sections 881-886 of the NDAA pave the way for the DOD to use open source […]
Security Weaknesses in Pentagon Excess Property Program
The Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) handles the management of logistical support for the military. It also runs the 1033 program, which transfers excess Department of Defense (DOD) property to federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs) across the United States and its territories. Since its inception, this program has transferred more than $6 billion worth of DOD property to participating LEAs.
Vacant VA Buildings Cost Taxpayers Millions
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has gone through many trials and travails over the past several years. A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) exposed another aspect of the department that enables waste and mismanagement.
Thornberry’s Attempt at Acquisition Reform
Over the past 15 years, the budget of the Department of Defense (DoD) has swollen to encompass more than 50 percent of discretionary spending in fiscal year (FY) 2016, and is expected to increase by an additional $54 billion in FY 2018. Unbelievably, it is the lone federal agency to have never undergone an audit, as is required by law. The vital nature of the Pentagon’s mission means that inefficiency in this sector is too dangerous to tolerate. Wasted spending costs taxpayers and undermines the capability of the armed forces.
Obscuring the Cost Growth of the “Little Crappy Ship”
The Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), referred to as the “Little Crappy Ship” by some inside the Navy, has been a disaster since its inception. The difficulties experienced by the program range from a vaguely defined mission, a lack of firepower and survivability, and design flaws leading to cracks in the hull and corrosion. The number of ships has been cut in half, from 55 to 28, while the cost per ship has increased by 117.3 percent, from $220 million to $478 million.
Pentagon Obscures Cost Growth of “Little Crappy Ship”
According to a March 2017 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review, which is charged with reviewing information to be released to the public, blocked awkward information regarding cost growth in a historically wasteful program. The GAO was forced to delete cost increases of two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) […]