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28 March 2011
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http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20110328_3736.php |
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"In 2010, MDA made progress in delivering assets as well as increasing transparency and accountability," the Government Accountability Office stated in its annual assessment of the Defense Department branch. "While many significant, positive steps were taken, GAO also found issues limiting the extent to which cost, schedule, and system performance can be tracked. Stabilizing the new acquisition approach, improving execution and increasing transparency are key steps for DOD." The agency failed to achieve all of its 2010 objectives for the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, though the office obtained or surpassed its targets for efforts including antimissile updates to Aegis warships, according to the report (see GSN, March 23). Auditors said the Defense Department had yet to finish putting in place a procedure for overseeing procurements for the Obama administration's "phased adaptive approach" to European missile defense, which emphasizes deploying Standard Missile 3 interceptors in and around Europe as a defense against Iranian missile threats (see GSN, March 22). "Without key management and oversight processes, there is a limited basis for oversight, and there is a risk that key components will start production before demonstrating system performance," a report summary states. "In the past, similar deficiencies in missile defense acquisition oversight have led to rework, cost increases, delays, and doubts about delivered capabilities." The Pentagon has not finished assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, which is designed to eliminate long-range threats during the middle of flight, according to the GAO report (see GSN, Dec. 16, 2010). A 2010 targets procurement action by the agency "was not consistent with its 2009 acquisition plan which envisioned competitive contract awards that would reduce reliance on its prime contractor," the report says (U.S. Government Accountability Office release, Jan. 24). Auditors noted the agency had scuttled further shipments of exoatmospheric kill vehicles produced by Raytheon, the Boston Business Journal reported. The Pentagon office said the defense contractor was still able to produce EKV components not involved in an unsuccessful ground-based missile defense test last December (Tim McLaughlin, Boston Business Journal, March 25). The Pentagon branch provided a more detailed assessment of its 2010 performance to lawmakers than it issued for the prior year, due to a revamped procedure involving the establishment of more precise baselines for various missile defense programs, auditors wrote. Still, GAO officials "found [MDA] unit and life-cycle cost baselines had unexplained inconsistencies and documentation for six baselines had insufficient evidence to be a high-quality cost estimate," the document states. "As a result, GAO could not evaluate cost progress" (U.S. Government Accountability Office release). The report calls for the Defense secretary to demand that the Missile Defense Agency "undertake ... 10 actions to strengthen its baselines, facilitate external and independent reviews of those baselines, ensure effective oversight of the [Ballistic Missile Defense System], and further improve transparency and accountability of its efforts." The Defense Department "fully" endorsed seven of the
report's proposals and "partially" backed the remaining
three (U.S. Government Accountability Office report). |
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