Defense Acquisition: Ready for Reform?
Abstract
With changing threats and shrinking budgets, how do senior leaders decide among the military ways and means to achieve defense ends? To support the United States' security strategy, leaders throughout the whole of government must consult a series of publications for guidance which stakeholders translate into required capabilities. Senior military leaders compare defense capabilities to requirements to determine gaps and associated risks, as well as how to mitigate them. In doing so, they must also consider international political expectations, changing external threats, ongoing economic stress, and waning domestic support for military intervention overseas. Effective resourcing for existing or new capabilities under these constraints requires a balance of strategic, political, and budgetary considerations to secure viable, timely, best-value solutions. The key question, then, is whether the current capability-based approach is effective in obtaining the best value for the nation's dollar with respect to capabilities and resources. This paper analyzes the current methodology used to determine military requirements and resource them, and offers potential ways to improve.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA589251
Entities
People
- Sandra S. Muchow
Organizations
- United States Army War College