GAO's Views on SDIO's Phase I Cost Estimate

Abstract

I am pleased to appear before the Subcommittee today to discuss our review of changes in the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization's (SDIO) estimate of the cost for acquiring and deploying Phase I of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). In June 1987 SDIO estimated that the cost to deploy Phase I of SDI would be between $75.6 billion and $145.7 billion (fiscal year 1988 dollars). In June 1988 SDIO estimated that Phase I would cost $115.4 billion (fiscal year 1988 dollars). In October 1988 SDIO estimated (the current estimate) that Phase I would cost $69.1 billion (fiscal year 1988 dollars). You asked us to explain the difference between the June 1987 high estimate of $145.7 billion and the current estimate of $69.1 billion. Although we have not completed our review, it appears that the decrease resulted primarily from: reductions in the quantities of some items to be produced and deployed; changes in technical characteristics of some items; and differences in the models used to estimate the costs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 21, 1989
Accession Number
ADA344591

Entities

People

  • Frank C. Conahan

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Control Systems
  • Cost Analysis
  • Cost Estimates
  • Cost Models
  • Cost Reductions
  • Costs
  • Department Of Defense
  • Detectors
  • Directed Energy Weapons
  • Focal Plane Arrays
  • Focal Planes
  • Ground Based
  • Radar
  • Space Based
  • Strategic Defense Initiative

Readers

  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting