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 1994-03-22 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:T-NSIAD-94-124 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-NSIAD-94-124 P0b002ee18039ea4a f:tns94124 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-T-NSIAD-94-124 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-NSIAD-94-124 T-NSIAD-94-124 Defense procurement Testing Proposed legislation Federal procurement policies Military systems analysis Weapons systems Internal controls Procurement evaluation Defense cost control Procurement procedures PHOENIX Missile Army Heavy Equipment Transporter System Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles Army Palletized Load System Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile B-1B Aircraft C-17 Aircraft Short Range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle B-2 Aircraft T-45 Aircraft F/A-18E/F Aircraft F-22 Aircraft FMTV AMRAAM Testimony NSIAD GAO generally supports the acquisition reform proposals now before Congress. Most of the proposed changes to the current test and evaluation legislation should not be enacted, however, because they address perceived rather than documented problems and because they would undermine a key management control over the system acquisition process. Given the problems that GAO continues to find in the acquisition of defense systems, the priority given to test and evaluation should increase, not decrease, as would occur if the proposed legislation were enacted. GAO's reviews of test and evaluation issues, the defense system acquisition process, and many individual weapon programs have consistently shown that independent operational test and evaluation is the most realistic way, short of war, to determine whether the Pentagon is getting what it paid for. GAO also believes that, if a program is "sold" on meeting certain requirements, the Defense Department's commitment to that program should be strictly limited until those requirements have been adequately demonstrated. Hence, GAO believes that any change to the current test and evaluation legislation should at least preserve, if not strengthen, this "fly-before-buy" principle. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-NSIAD-94-124/html/GAOREPORTS-T-NSIAD-94-124.htm GAO/T-NSIAD-94-124 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-NSIAD-94-124 Testimony GAO/T-NSIAD-94-124; Acquisition Reform: Role of Test and Evaluation in System Acquisition Should Not Be Weakened; Defense procurement Testing Proposed legislation Federal procurement policies Military systems analysis Weapons systems Internal controls Procurement evaluation Defense cost control Procurement procedures PHOENIX Missile Army Heavy Equipment Transporter System Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles Army Palletized Load System Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile B-1B Aircraft C-17 Aircraft Short Range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle B-2 Aircraft T-45 Aircraft F/A-18E/F Aircraft F-22 Aircraft FMTV AMRAAM