Why the Army Cannot Modernize Quickly

 The Army must understand that one show does not fit all as it may have in Vietnam.

----- Original Message -----

From: Bradley P. Giordani

To: GAO GROUP ; GAO GROUP ; GAO GROUP ; GAO GROUP

Cc: 

Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 12:47 PM

Subject: THIS WAS PROVIDED TO HASC OVER THE SUMMER

        Why the Army Cannot Modernize Quickly

·        Before being procured by the Army, every piece of hardware fielded to Soldiers goes through seven distinct development stages, all controlled by statute and regulation.

·        These stages of development are not transparent.  The machinations performed by Army staff, even if not classified, are largely hidden.  Therefore, if contractors and other interested parties are to stay current with the development process, they must build solid relationships with each of the bureaucrats who are in charge of the seven different stages of development.  This multi-tiered system ensures that Army-developed products are protected from cradle to grave. Industrial and commercially approved products are not given a chance to compete in DoD commodity markets.

·        Early in the development cycle, the “customers” are officers within the Joint Chiefs of Staff who vet each weapon system to ensure the requirement is valid.  Later, the combat developer agencies are seen as the customers.  Then the materiel developer community becomes the customer.  Eventually, the soldier is the end-user.  This multi-tiered system, with changing personalities of the many decision makers, makes it difficult for companies to compete for any Army business when civil servants must protect their jobs at all cost. 

·        Since Vietnam, nearly all Army equipment has been replaced with more modern equipment, incrementally better items except -- most importantly -- small arms, third in importance to the soldier, behind water and rations. The Joint Services Small Arms Program (JSSAP) manages all small arms programs for the DoD. For their 20 plus year existence, JSSAP has never put in the hands of warfighters any new weapon systems.

Well-intended, but Inadequate “Fixes”

·        Commercial off the Self (COTS) products are used by the General Service Administration and other federal agencies, except for the military.  Why? The military uses its own people to develop and implement new products, instead of buying off the self. Commodities should be competitively bid.

·        The Defense Streamlining Acquisition Act was signed into Law in 1995, but still has not been implemented.  The Act was written to take advantage of COTS, and to encourage Commanders to think outside the strict MilSpec conformance box when general supplies are needed quickly.

Therefore, the Department of Defense has not followed the intent of Congress, nor the statute.  Congress must hold the Department of Defense accountable to both the spirit and the letter of the Defense Streamlining Acquisition Act.