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Battlefield Automation: Acquisition Issues Facing the Army Battle Command, Brigade and Below Program

NSIAD-98-140 Published: Jun 30, 1998. Publicly Released: Jun 30, 1998.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's acquisition plans for the Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade and Below (FBCB2) program, focusing on the: (1) program's significance to the Army's battlefield digitization goal; (2) Army's derivation of cost estimates; and (3) feasibility of the Army's fielding schedule.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology to consider GAO's analysis of the FBCB2 program and make a determination of whether it should be appropriately characterized as an acquisition category I-D on the basis of its significance to the Army's battlefield digitization goal, the costs GAO discusses in this report, schedule risk, the new Army cost estimate expected to be available by the end of this fiscal year, and the benefits of prudent oversight.
Closed – Implemented
At an August 1999 Defense Acquisition Executive review of the FBCB2 program, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology designated the FBCB2 program an acquisition category I-D program.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology to analyze, regardless of eventual category designation, the risks and likely immediate benefits associated with equipping a division with a FBCB2 capability by the end of FY 2000 and provide guidance to Army acquisition executives on managing those risks.
Closed – Implemented
As a part of the August 1999 Defense Acquisition Executive review of the FBCB2 program, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology is providing guidance to Army acquisition executives through an Acquisition Decision Memorandum.

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Topics

National Defense
IT acquisitionsArmy procurementCommand control communications systemsComputer equipment managementConcurrencyMilitary communicationMilitary systems analysisOperational testingU.S. ArmyMilitary forces