United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-02-13 monographic deposited born digital 30 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-97-23 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-23 P0b002ee180395431 f:ns97023 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-23 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-23 NSIAD-97-23 Defense procurement Advanced weapons systems Budget cuts Testing Federal procurement policies Defense budgets Defense cost control Defense capabilities Concurrency Irregular procurement practices C-17 Aircraft T-45A Aircraft Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles HAWKEYE E-2C Aircraft Avenger Aircraft Blackhawk Helicopter Tomahawk Cruise Missile NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Kiowa Warrior Helicopter HELLFIRE Missile Standard Missile System F-22 Aircraft JSTARS Common Ground Station Multiple Launch Rocket System Rolling Airframe Missile F/A-18E/F Aircraft Letter Report NSIAD

GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) weapons acquisition procedures, focusing on: (1) DOD's practice of reducing the annual production of weapons below planned optimum rates during full-rate production; (2) the reasons for this practice; and (3) the effect of this practice on the costs and availability of weapons.<p/>GAO found that: (1) DOD has inappropriately placed a high priority on buying large numbers of untested weapons during low-rate initial production to ensure commitment to new programs and thus has had to cut by more than half its planned full production rates for many weapons that have already been tested; (2) this practice is wasteful because DOD must often modify, at high cost, the large numbers of untested weapons it has bought before they are usable and must lower annual buys of tested, proven weapons, stretching out full-rate production for years due to a lack of funds; (3) GAO has repeatedly reported on DOD's practice of procuring substantial inventories of unsatisfactory weapons requiring costly modifications to achieve satisfactory performance and, in some cases, deployment of substandard weapons to combat forces; (4) GAO found the practice of reducing planned full production rates to be widespread; (5) primarily because of funding limitations, DOD has reduced the annual full-rate production for 17 of the 22 proven weapons reviewed, stretching out the completion of the weapons' production an average of 8 years longer than planned; (6) according to DOD's records, if these weapons were produced at their originally planned rates and respective cost estimates, the quantities produced as of the end of fiscal year 1996 would have cost nearly $10 billion less; (7) at the same time, DOD is funding increased annual quantities of weapons in low-rate production that often are in excess of what is needed to perform operational tests and establish the production base; (8) if DOD bought untested weapons during low-rate initial production at minimum rates, more funds would be available to buy other proven weapons in full-rate production at more efficient rates and at lower costs; and (9) this would reduce costly modifications to fix substandard weapons bought in low-rate production and allow full-rate production of weapons with demonstrated performance to be completed and deployed to combat forces earlier. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-23/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-23.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-23/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-23.pdf GAO/NSIAD-97-23 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-23 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-97-23; Weapons Acquisition: Better Use of Limited DOD Acquisition Funding Would Reduce Costs; Defense procurement Advanced weapons systems Budget cuts Testing Federal procurement policies Defense budgets Defense cost control Defense capabilities Concurrency Irregular procurement practices C-17 Aircraft T-45A Aircraft Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles HAWKEYE E-2C Aircraft Avenger Aircraft Blackhawk Helicopter Tomahawk Cruise Missile NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Kiowa Warrior Helicopter HELLFIRE Missile Standard Missile System F-22 Aircraft JSTARS Common Ground Station Multiple Launch Rocket System Rolling Airframe Missile F/A-18E/F Aircraft Title 10 Section 2400 10 U.S.C. 2400 Title 31 Section 720 31 U.S.C. 720 Public Law 104-201