Budgetary Pressures Created by the Army's Plan To Procure New Major Weapon Systems Are Just Beginning
MASAD-82-5
Published: Oct 20, 1981. Publicly Released: Oct 20, 1981.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
GAO reviewed new weapon system acquisition programs to determine the likely effect on the budget for the next several years of financing the procurement, operation, and support of the Army's new major weapon systems and identifying ways for relieving the pressure which characterized the preparation of the Army's 1982-1986 5-Year Defense Program.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to fully fund those new systems deemed by the Army to be essential to bring its missions to the desired capability, even at the expense of canceling or reducing other acquisition programs. |
This is an ongoing recommendation which will require action each year. Defense is implementing the action through existing management mechanisms.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to identify, in each 5-year plan, the additional resources that will be needed to operate and support all major weapon systems in inventory and to procure and determine the resources that can reasonably be expected to become available for these purposes so that the results of such assessments can be considered in procurement funding decisions. New major weapon system procurements should not be undertaken unless a positive determination has been made that the systems can be adequately operated and supported. |
This is an ongoing recommendation which will require action each year. Defense is implementing the action through existing management mechanisms.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army: (1) to ascertain, in consultation with the prime contractors, that foreseeable production risks of the 11 systems for which deliveries are still to begin have been identified; (2) to revise procurement cost estimates accordingly; and (3) to consider the steps necessary to forestall or minimize such risks. |
This is an ongoing recommendation which will require action each year. Defense is implementing the action through existing management mechanisms.
|
Full Report
Public Inquiries
Topics
BudgetingCost analysisDefense procurementEnergy consumptionInflationMilitary appropriationsMilitary personnelNational defense operationsSpare partsWeapons systems