Defense Acquisition Reform, 1960-2009

From 1960 through 2009 there were numerous studies of defense acquisition commissioned by presidents, Congress, and secretaries of defense, government agencies, analyses organizations, and universities, as well as studies conducted by the General Accountability Office during the same period. Much to the surprise of many, the reform studies over the forty-nine-year period arrived at most of the same findings and made similar recommendations. But political will to make the changes, combined with internal dynamics resistant to change, led to only minor improvements. The problems of schedule slippages, cost growth, and technical performance shortfalls have remained much the same. This book provides historical and analytical accounts of the acquisition process for major weapons systems in order to identify long-term trends, insights, and observations that could provide perspective and context for current defense decision makers, acquisition officials, and the acquisition...