Army Weapon Systems Requirements: Need to Address Workforce Shortfalls to Make Necessary Improvements
Abstract
Over the past decade, the Army spent over $20 billion annually to develop and acquire weapon systems, yet it canceled many of them due, in part, to the realization that requirements would not be met. In 2011, the Secretary of the Army commissioned a report (called the Decker-Wagner report) to identify why the Army has experienced a poor acquisition track record. One contributing factor identified in the report was poorly developed requirements. GAO was asked to review the Army's process for developing weapon system requirements. This report (1) identifies what actions the Army has taken to improve its requirements development process since 2011; (2) evaluates the extent to which the Army ensures that requirements are well-informed and feasible: and (3) provides information on the current status of nine major defense programs. GAO reviewed the Decker-Wagner report and actions taken; reviewed Army requirements policy documentation and interviewed officials; assessed the composition of the requirements development workforce; and analyzed a nongeneralizable sample of nine case studies of major defense acquisition programs, selected based on their acquisition phase.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1151803
Entities
People
- Charlie Iii Shivers
- David Payne
- Emily Bond
- J. K. Keener
- Lorraine Ettaro
- Marie A. Mak
- Robin Wilson
- Sylvia Schatz
- Tana M. Davis
- William Allbritton
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office