Cultivating Change: Planting the Seeds for an Affordable Defense

Abstract

Acquiring a new generation of weapon systems in an environment of highly constrained defense budgets, uncertain future threats, and fewer defense contractors poses one of the most formidable challenges to achieving Force XXI (U.S. Army circa 2006) and the Army After Next (circa 2025). Although many defense contractors have attempted dramatic transformations to improve performance, referred to as reengineering, most of these attempts have failed to attain the improvements needed to comprehensively modernize our defenses within current budget projections. Assessments are making it clear that reengineering is effective only when accompanied by a corresponding transformation of organizational cultures under skilled leadership. Senior Department of Defense and Army officials should collaborate with corporate leaders to transform their organizational cultures so that the seeds of innovation, efficiency, and creativity can thrive if Force XXI or the Army After Next are to become realities.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 06, 1998
Accession Number
ADA344314

Entities

People

  • Patrick J. O'reilly

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Cognition
  • Cold War
  • Commerce
  • Contracts
  • Cost Reductions
  • Defense Industry
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Indirect Costs
  • Motivation
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Procurement
  • Psychology
  • War Colleges
  • Weapon Systems

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Strategic Security Studies