NCPA: Dallas, TX
The military acquisition system is woefully outdated. The new Acquisition Agility Act of FY 2017 could be a good step towards repairing a severely broken system, according to a new report from National Center for Policy Analysis Executive Director Allen West and Senior Fellow David Grantham.
“The current system saddles taxpayers with the unnecessary costs of a broken procurement system, but remains unresponsive to the needs of the warfighter,” says Grantham, who served as an officer in the United States Air Force and as a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). “Warfighters need to know that weapon systems will arrive on-time and taxpayers need to be assured that those programs will be on budget.”
The Acquisition Agility Act, introduced by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry and Ranking Member Adam Smith, would no longer allow officers and enlisted to be single-tracked in an Acquisition career, would improve incentives for delivering weapon systems on time and on budget, and would implement an “Acquisition Scorecard” system to ensure transparency. However, the requirement of an “oversight board” in each military department could further bureaucratic bloat. Additionally, the bill doesn’t specify how the defense industry would be held accountable, write Grantham and West.
The NCPA is fighting to curb bureaucratic bloat in the military and reform the military acquisition and research and development process to eliminate cost overruns with the “Provide for the Common Defense Now!” Petition. Read the full petition at: http://www.ncpathinktank.org/petition