WASHINGTON and DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — Pentagon leaders are still struggling to meet weapons delivery timelines despite their frequent pledges to get new equipment into troops’ hands more quickly, according to a new government watchdog report.
“The overall average time frame to deliver a capability increased this year to over 12 years,” the Government Accountability Office (GAO) wrote in a report released today. “Further, several MDAPs [major defense acquisition programs] have not set new delivery dates or are delaying critical interim milestones.”
Essentially, that 12-year average may even be optimistic since program officials are not updating the delivery timelines to account for those delays, GAO added.
And when it comes to the use of rapid prototyping and fielding pathways — made possible under the Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) authorities created to either design or field weapons within a five-year timeline — those efforts are also continuing to exceed their deadlines and require more time to develop “immature technologies,” the office added, using an industry phrase for programs that are not yet proven, reliable and ready for broad deployment.
GAO’s findings are part of an annual report to Congress assessing the state of weapons systems. This year’s report covers dozens of programs and associated delays. While each development program is unique, GAO made one overarching recommendation this year: the Pentagon should require programs to start with mature technologies and/or develop those immature technologies separately. The department agreed.Here is a look at some of the programs facing delays and cost growth, according to GAO.
