Is The Pentagon Doing A Better Job Controlling Costs For Its Major Programs?

The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, taken from an airplane in January 2008. Wikipedia

Martin Matishak, The Week/Fiscal Times: How the Pentagon's $1.4 trillion weapons portfolio got a little smaller

The U.S. Defense Department is doing a better job controlling costs for its major acquisition programs, according to a recent watchdog report.

The Government Accountability Office says the cost of the Pentagon's top 79 weapons programs — with a total value of about $1.44 trillion — declined by roughly $15 billion since the last review in 2014.

The annual study encompasses such high-profile weapons programs as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Littoral Combat Ship, and the Ohio-class submarine replacement — all of which have cost the American taxpayer billions.

"Our current assessment shows that DOD is making progress in decreasing the amount of cost growth realized in the portfolio," the report states. "When assessing just the 79 programs in the 2015 portfolio, costs have decreased by $2.5 billion over the past year, a net decrease largely attributable to quantity reductions in the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement program."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The cynic in me is sceptical.