A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that the Defense Department’s major technology programs are consistently failing to meet their promised capabilities, leading to a $37 billion increase in taxpayer costs over the past two years. The report highlights factors such as supplier disruptions, software development delays, and quality control deficiencies as driving forces behind the delays. The programs assessed include the Army’s Precision Strike Missile, the Air Force’s B-52 Bomber, the Navy’s Virginia-class submarine, and the Space Force’s Next Generation Operational Control System.
Key points:
- Over half of the major defense acquisition programs assessed by the GAO reported new delays in delivering operational capability, with factors such as supply chain challenges and software development delays contributing to the setbacks.
- The net costs of the assessed programs increased by $37 billion over the past two years, primarily due to rising modernization costs, production inefficiencies, and supply chain challenges.
- The report highlights specific programs facing delays, including the Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System, Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2, Extended Range Cannon Artillery, and Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor radar, as well as the Navy’s Block V Virginia-class attack submarines and the Space Force’s Military GPS User Equipment Increment 1 and Next Generation Operational Control System.
Source: https://breakingdefense.com/2023/06/major-weapon-system-costs-rose-37-billion-over-last-year-gao/
