Going to War with Defense Contractors: A Case Study Analysis of Battlefield Acquisition

Abstract

The escalating use of contractors on the battlefield in highly critical operational areas is a trend that is increasing across the DoD. Contractors have a vital role supporting CONUS missions, but they are also on the battlefield in defense of our nation, supporting the warfighter and their weapon systems. As the use of contractors on the battlefield continues to gain favor within the DoD, and as contractor s roles continue to expand and become more critical, it is imperative to improve the current way that the DoD, and specifically Air Force acquisition professionals, procure such services. This research analyzes inputs from DoD Policy Experts, Contractor Policy Experts, Army Policy Experts, Air Force Policy Experts, and 13 Air Force Program Offices that use contractors on the battlefield to support, maintain, and/or troubleshoot their weapon systems. Content analysis and pattern matching were used to determine the current status of battlefield acquisition, draw conclusions, and make recommendations. Several problem areas in this area of acquisition were identified as well as best practices and lessons learned.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA422926

Entities

People

  • Ryan M. Novak

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Air Force Personnel
  • Aircrafts
  • Business Administration
  • Employment
  • International Law
  • Lessons Learned
  • Logistics
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Technical Research and Report Writing.