Electronic Combat: Consolidation Master Plan Does Not Appear to Be Cost-Effective
NSIAD-97-10
Published: Jul 10, 1997. Publicly Released: Jul 10, 1997.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan, focusing on the cost and benefits of DOD's consolidation plans for open air ranges, hardware-in-the-loop facilities, and installed system test facilities used in electronic combat testing.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Because DOD's Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan may not provide for the most cost-effective DOD-wide infrastructure for electronic combat testing as directed by the Congress, the Congress may wish to consider directing the Secretary of Defense to defer the transferring of electronic combat test assets until DOD completes its Vision 21 plan for restructuring its laboratories and test and evaluation centers. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
According to congressional staff, an effort was made to implement the matter for consideration during the fiscal year 1998 budget process, but nothing came of this. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | Because the loss of electronic combat effectiveness was not given adequate consideration in the development of DOD's Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan, the Master Plan contained no costs or evidence of savings, and service parochialism was allowed to interfere with development of the Master Plan, the Secretary of Defense should take steps to make sure that the methodology for the ongoing Section 277/Vision 21 effort include the following criteria: (1) accurate, comparable, and reliable data on the true cost of operating the services' test and evaluation infrastructure; (2) the needs of and costs to test facility customers; (3) the maintenance of geographical and topographical diversity in the test facility base; (4) the requirement that proposed consolidations be cost-effective for DOD as a whole; and (5) measures to ensure that implementation of cost-effective decisions cannot be constrained or avoided. |
Closed – Implemented
According to a letter from the Air Force to Senator Mack and provided to GAO, to continue to meet the needs of DOD test customers, the Air Force has decided not to close the electronic combat test facility at Eglin AFB, Florida, as called for in the Master Plan the report criticizes. This change in Air Force and DOD plans since completion of the report implements the portion of the recommendation dealing with maintaining diversity in the test facility base and the need to respond to the desires of DOD test facility customers.
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Weapons systemsBase closuresCombat readinessComputer modelingElectronic warfareMilitary aircraftMilitary cost controlMilitary downsizingTest facilitiesWeapons research and development