Army Acquisition: Medium Truck Program Is Not Practical and Needs Reassessment
NSIAD-93-232
Published: Aug 05, 1993. Publicly Released: Sep 24, 1993.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's family of medium tactical vehicles (FMTV) acquisition program, focusing on: (1) the feasibility of meeting program and fleet management goals under the Army's 30-year acquisition strategy; (2) the Army's consideration of other medium truck alternatives; and (3) possible cost-effective alternatives.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should reassess the cost-effectiveness of the 30-year acquisition strategy for the Army's FMTV program, especially in light of the negative impact of the program's length on program and fleet management goals and expectations. At a minimum, such a reassessment should consider: (1) Department of Defense (DOD) final force structure reductions (which have yet to be announced); (2) the impact of the Army's new operational doctrine on FMTV requirements; (3) the air deployability of the FMTV 2.5-ton truck; and (4) the need for more FMTV trailers. |
The Army's Training and Doctrine Command planned to perform a full program assessment to support the award of a second production contract in fiscal year 1998. However, the Command no longer plans such an assessment because it believes that such an assessment would not be meaningful because of changes in the FMTV program since the report was issued.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should not proceed to full-rate production of FMTV until the reassessment is complete. |
DOD did not concur in this recommendation because it felt that a delay in full-rate production was not warranted because the Army had already adequately verified its initial production quantity requirement.
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| Department of the Army | To be consistent with recent DOD acquisition reform objectives, which include reducing acquisition costs, the Secretary of the Army should include the alternatives presented in this report, especially the M939A2 alternative, in the Army's reassessment of the FMTV program. |
As part of its normal procedures, the Army performed a cost and operational effectiveness analysis (COEA) to support the 1995 FMTV full production decision. The COEA included alternatives to FMTV trucks. It has been updated a number of times. The COEA and all updates concluded that the FMTV trucks were the most cost-effective way of meeting the Army's medium truck requirements.
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Army procurementBudget cutsCombat readinessCost effectiveness analysisDefense contingency planningGround warfareLife cycle costsMilitary cost controlMilitary land vehiclesMilitary operations