Implications of Highly Sophisticated Weapon Systems on Military Capabilities: Report to the CongressGeneral Accounting Office, 1980 - 24 pages |
Common terms and phrases
acquisition antisubmarine warfare availability bility chairman Cheyenne combat categories Committee on Foreign Complexity and sophistication concern Congress before completing congressional cost of equipment cost weapon systems Costs of Weapon create readiness problems credible defense posture defense budget Defense Science Board Department of Defense deployed weapon developed for deployment DOD officials DOD's effect engine example F-14A/Phoenix Weapon System factors failure fiscal year 1981 Foreign Relations goldplating high cost systems high performance systems high performance weapons high technology weapon highly sophisticated include high performance increased reliability inventory shortfalls larger quantities logistics concepts low cost low quantities lower cost weapon microfiche money orders NATO Navy nuclear weapons numbers of highly O&M funding operation and maintenance overall personnel readiness levels readiness of U.S. reliability and maintainability requested S-3A aircraft Secretary of Defense Senate Committee sophisticated systems support costs surface-to-air missile system trend U.S. forces U.S. General Accounting weapon systems deployed XM-1 tank
Popular passages
Page 18 - Even though we may not yet have learned to operate some of our weapons to their full potential, we make plans to replace them. We log fewer flying hours and steaming days than a fully professional force requires. Admittedly these are deficiencies that, for the most part, we can make up more rapidly than shortages of modern equipment. And the Services are understandably concerned that If they give up force structure they may well, as a result of subsequent economies by the Secretary of Defense or...
Page 1 - It identifies major factors leading to increased weapons systems costs. The GAO, according to the report, "believes the major effects on costs have resulted from : attempts to deploy systems with new technology and high performance, low rates of production due to budget constraints and desires to maintain active production bases as long as possible, absence of price competition between contractors, lack of real motivation on the part of contractors to reduce costs, the impact of socioeconomic programs,...
Page 18 - In the world have changed dramatically, and non-nuclear conflict tends to recur. Because defense budgets are always limited to some level, and because we still act as though we believe we will have the time to mobilize, long-lead weapons and equipment often receive the highest spending priorities. Combat readiness, alertness, and mobility for the general purpose forces sometimes fall much lower on the list. As a consequence, many of our weapons are out of commission for lack of spare parts. Even...
Page 18 - We are actively pursuing several reliability and durability "fixes" . We will delay F-1S squadron activation dates and are considering flying hour reductions for the F-15 and F-16 until the fixes can be effected. Past Defense Reports have emphasized unreliable and hard-to-support equipment designs as a major, and often the principal, contributor to less-thandesirable weapon system performance in the field. An important means of improving the peacetime materiel readiness of our existing forces is...
Page 4 - Technology in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research, Development and Acquisition. In...
Page 4 - ... from a series of factors. Some, like the Vietnam experience and insufficient modernization resources, were beyond our control; others, such as the developmental failures of the early seventies, were clearly our own responsibility. The bottom line, however, is that your Army is, at the present time, facing superior hardware in virtually every major combat category: tanks, firepower, rockets, fighting vehicles, air defense equipment, chemical warfare ordnance, electronic warfare gear, bridging,...
Page 7 - Force concluded that the Defense Department creates requirements to meet threat projections that often do not materialize.
Page 1 - We reported the major effects on costs have resulted from — attempts to deploy systems with new technology and high performance; — low rates of production due to budget constraints and desires to maintain active production bases as long as possible; — absence of price competition between contractors; — lack of real motivation on the part of contractors to reduce costs; — the impact of socioeconomic programs, Government controls, and red tape; and — a nationwide problem of reduced research...
Page 13 - ... closing, let me return to the figure shown in chart 10, it is clear that with limited resources, if we are to buy the quantities of equipment required in the future for a credible defense posture, we must minimize the production and support costs of each system. We believe the way to do this is to give greater consideration to designing lower production and support costs into the system during its development. Thus we use advanced technology to not only improve higher performance, but to lower...