Defense Acquisitions. Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs

Abstract

This report is GAO's fifth annual assessment of selected weapon programs. From 2001 to the present, the Department of Defense (DOD) has doubled its planned investment in new systems from approximately $750 billion to almost $1.5 trillion. While DOD expects these systems to transform military operations, their acquisition remains a high-risk area. GAO's reviews of weapons over three decades have found consistent cost increases, schedule delays, and performance shortfalls. The nation's growing long-range fiscal challenges may ultimately spur Congress to pressure DOD to cut spending on new weapons and to redirect funding to other priorities. In response, DOD might be compelled to deliver new weapon programs within estimated costs and to obtain the most from its investments.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA465171

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Cyber
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Control Systems
  • Electronically Scanned Array
  • Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Navy
  • Rockets
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warning Systems
  • Weapon Control
  • Weapons Effects

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting