The Abiding Cultural Problem: Accountability, Consequence, and the 129th Study

Abstract

In a May 2001 interview with Defense News, then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld posed a rhetorical question: "Why has there been little fundamental change in the departments acquisition process despite the 128 different studies that have chronicled the ills of the procurement system?" Rumsfelds number was an exaggeration, but it reflected the common frustration with the endless series of studies conducted on the defense acquisition process-all with no real results. Seven years later, the litany continues. There have been two Quadrennial Defense Reviews, three Beyond Goldwater-Nichols reports, the Defense Science Board's report on "Management Oversight in Acquisition Organizations," and the Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment-collectively becoming the metaphorical129th study to result in little fundamental change.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2008
Accession Number
AD1015889

Entities

People

  • Gary E. Christle

Organizations

  • Center for Naval Analyses

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accountability
  • Acquisition
  • Commerce
  • Contracts
  • Defense Industry
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electronic Mail
  • Executives
  • Governments
  • Leadership
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Acquisition
  • National Governments
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Procurement
  • Program Management

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.