121 Key U.S. Defense Acquisition Programs Have A Price Tag Of $1.86 Trillion

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Thomas McLaughlin directs an F/A-18E Super Hornet on May 26, 2020, on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan in the Philippine Sea. (MC3 Erica Bechard/U.S. Navy)

Defense News: Here’s the newest price tag for DoD’s arsenal of equipment

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department’s portfolio of 121 key defense acquisition programs now has a price tag of $1.86 trillion, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

The number comes from the GAO’s annual assessment of Pentagon acquisition, delivered to the public on Wednesday. The figure involves a 4 percent increase over the previous year but also factors in, for the first time, 15 major IT investments ($15.1 billion) and 13 middle-tier acquisition programs ($19.5 billion).

The vast majority comes from 93 major defense acquisition programs, or MDAP, worth $1.82 trillion. Of those, 85 MDAPs worth a total of $1.8 trillion are already underway, with the rest expected to enter production in the near future. The $1.8 trillion figure marks the largest level of investment in MDAPs since 2011, and an increase of $44 billion over the department’s 2018 MDAP portfolio.

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WNU Editor: That's a lot of money.