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Combat Air Power: Joint Mission Assessments Needed Before Making Program and Budget Decisions

NSIAD-96-177 Published: Sep 20, 1996. Publicly Released: Sep 20, 1996.
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Highlights

GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) plans to modernize its combat air capabilities, focusing on whether DOD has sufficient information from a joint perspective to: (1) prioritize its air power programs; (2) objectively weigh the merits of new program investments; and (3) decide whether existing programs should receive continued funding.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense, along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, should develop an assessment process that yields more comprehensive information in key mission areas. This can be done by broadening the current joint warfare capabilities assessment process or developing an alternative mechanism.
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD believes that its existing processes, such as the Planning-Programming-Budgeting System, provide adequate information to the Secretary of Defense to make decisions on combat air power programs. The department agrees that the analytical support for overall decisionmaking can be improved and has been investing resources into the development of a new model that will simulate joint warfighting. DOD also believes its Deep Attack Weapons Mix Study (DAWMS) provided a review of the joint air power capabilities of the services to do not only the deep attack mission, but other missions as well. DOD also believes that the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) represented a joint department-wide review of all mission areas, including combat air power missions.
Department of Defense To enhance the effectiveness of these assessments, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should decide how best to provide analytical support to the assessment teams to ensure staff continuity, and allow the teams latitude to examine the full range of air power issues.
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD believes its existing processes, such as the Planning-Programming-Budgeting System, provide adequate information to the Secretary of Defense to make decisions on combat air power programs. The department agrees that the analytical support for overall decisionmaking can be improved and has been investing resources into the development of a new model that will simulate joint warfighting. DOD also believes its DAWMS provided a review of the joint air power capabilities of the services to do not only the deep attack mission, but other missions as well. DOD also believes that the QDR represented a joint department-wide review of all mission areas, including combat air power missions.

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Topics

Weapons systemsAir defense systemsAir warfareCombat readinessDefense capabilitiesDefense economic analysisDefense procurementFighter aircraftMilitary inventoriesTactical air forces