The Defense Acquisitions System Through the Eyes of a Marine Corps Project Officer: Observations, Inefficiencies, and Proposed Solutions

Abstract

The success and efficiency of the defense acquisitions organization is grounded on sound business fundamentals, comprehensive requirements generation, and fiscal responsibility. The warfighter deserves to be supported by a competent workforce that understands the requirements process and can deliver a high performing product, at the best price, and in the least amount of time. A lack of accountability and leadership is at the heart of acquisitions inefficiency. Employees that lack a sense of urgency and that are not fully invested in delivering a quality product to the user, in a timely manner, are failing in their duties. Inadequate capabilities documents are also affecting efficiency within the defense acquisitions system, leading to rising costs and extending delivery schedules. The requirements generation process, especially at the ACAT IV and AAP levels, demands an increased level of detail and rigor. Finally, uncertainties in the budget cycle, fiscal benchmarks, and contracting inefficiencies contribute to a failure in successful execution of some military programs. The DOD has to radically change its mindset to solve the fiscal challenges that are within its control.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 03, 2013
Accession Number
ADA601704

Entities

People

  • Romeo P. Cubas

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accountability
  • Acquisition
  • Business Administration
  • Commerce
  • Defense Industry
  • Employment
  • Engineers
  • Logistics
  • Management Personnel
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Acquisition
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Procurement
  • Program Management
  • Systems Engineering
  • Systems Management

Readers

  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).
  • Systems Analysis and Design