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Defense Acquisitions: Space System Acquisition Risks and Keys to Addressing Them

GAO-06-776R Published: Jun 01, 2006. Publicly Released: Jun 01, 2006.
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Highlights

On April 6, 2006, we testified before Congress on the Department of Defense's (DOD) space acquisitions. In fiscal year 2007, DOD expects to spend nearly $7 billion to acquire space-based capabilities to support current military and other government operations as well as to enable DOD to transform the way it collects and disseminates information, gathers data on its adversaries, and attacks targets. Despite its growing investment in space, however, DOD's space system acquisitions have experienced problems over the past several decades that have driven up costs by hundreds of millions, even billions, of dollars; stretched schedules by years; and increased performance risks. In some cases, capabilities have not been delivered to the warfighter after decades of development. Within this context, Congress requested that we provide additional comments regarding the need for better program management, space acquisition policy, and DOD's Space Radar and Transformational Satellite Communications System acquisitions.

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Aerospace researchCost analysisCost overrunsDefense capabilitiesDefense procurementInternal controlsLabor forceMilitary satellitesMilitary technologyPerformance measuresProcurement planningProcurement practicesProgram managementRequirements definitionSchedule slippagesSpace explorationCost estimates