Defense Management and Procurement Issues
Abstract
Since the mid-sixties, the DOD budget has never had an extended period of stability. Rather we see periods of rapid growth followed by periods of austerity followed by rapid growth again. This cycle inhibits managers within the Department from making sound management decisions. It encourages managers to procure as much as possible when funding is relatively plentiful and not attempt to develop a stable and realistic procurement plan. I think that this is a major problem. History shows that when too much money is being pumped into the acquisition system over a relatively short period of time, we will have problems. Over the next few years, we will be facing some very difficult decisions involving Defense spending. The Secretary, to his credit has expressed a willingness, as we enter a period of restrained Defense spending to address these issues. However, we believe that the services still have too many systems chasing too few dollars. Additional programs will have to be cut. In such an environment we cannot afford either sloppy or corrupt practices.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 11, 1988
- Accession Number
- AD1166743
Entities
People
- Charles Arthur Bowsher
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office