Defense Acquisitions: Antiarmor Munitions Master Plan Does Not Identify Potential Excesses or Support Planned Procurements
Abstract
In its report on the Fiscal Year 1999 Defense Appropriations Bill, the House Committee on Appropriations expressed concern that the military services are continuing to develop and procure an increasing number of tank-killing weapons at a time when potential adversaries have smaller armored forces. The Committee also questioned whether current antiarmor acquisition plans are appropriate and directed the Secretary of Defense to develop an Antiarmor Munitions Master Plan. According to the report, the plan should identify the projected armored threat and the projected quantity of all antiarmor weapons, whether fielded or in development, with the purpose of identifying and eliminating excess antiarmor capability. The Department of Defense (DOD) was directed to submit the plan with its fiscal year 2000 budget submission. Before the Master Plan was issued, we reported that DOD's inventory of antiarmor weapons had remained at 1990 Cold War levels (in terms of overall quantities and types), while the number of armored targets under current planning scenarios had dropped to less than 20 percent of the number considered in 1990. Previously, guidance issued by the Secretary of Defense establishing the most demanding level of threat U.S. forces must be prepared to counter and setting forth the war-fighting strategy had been based on a large-scale Soviet/Warsaw Pact threat involving thousands of armored vehicles; but the guidance is now based on a much smaller armored threat from two regional conflicts occurring simultaneously.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA376765
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office