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.

Pentagon Nominee For Acquisition, Technology And Logistics: Procurement A ‘Mess'

Mike Griffin, seen here testifying at a 2016 House Science Committee hearing, was nominated by the Trump administration Oct. 27 to be the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Credit: House Science Committee

Space News: Pentagon nominee Griffin: Procurement a ‘mess,’ U.S. losing edge in aviation, space

If confirmed by the Senate, Griffin could become a key voice in advancing U.S. technology in areas where the United States has long dominated — such as aviation and space — and is now being challenged.

WASHINGTON — President Trump tapped former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin for a top Pentagon job, giving him a key role in shaping investments in defense and aerospace technologies at a time when other nations are gaining ground on the United States.

Griffin’s nomination to be principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics had been anticipated for weeks, and the White House made it official Friday.

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WNU Editor: U.S> military procurement has been a mess for a  long time. For more info on former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin go here .... Trump announces the Pentagon’s top Asia, technology nominees (Navy Times).

Disputes Are Now Arising Over Who Owns The Intellectual Property Rights On The F-35 Program

Air Force F-35s fly in formation over Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Photo: Air Force

National Defense: Intellectual Property Fights Par for the Course in F-35 Program

When the Pentagon embarked on the acquisition of the F-35 joint strike fighter in 2001, little thought was given to who legally owned the rights to the technical data and intellectual property associated with the aircraft.

Fifteen years later, the lack of clear contractual language about ownership of technical data and software code has put the Pentagon in a bind and has limited the government’s options on how to maintain, upgrade and manage the Pentagon’s largest weapons acquisition, according to the officer who runs the F-35 program, Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan.

“I am playing catch-up now every which way I turn when it comes to intellectual property rights in the F-35 program,” Bogdan told a group of government and industry executives who are reviewing the existing body of laws and regulations regarding rights in technical data.

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WNU Editor: WTF!!!! It is bad enough that the F-35 program is years behind and billions over budget .... but to learn that the Pentagon is now fighting over intellectual property rights .... and not just on the F-35 program!!!! To say that something is wrong when it comes to the Pentagon's development and procurement program is an understatement.

A Look At What The U.S. Air Force And The U.S. Navy Are Buying In 2016

WNU Editor: A look at what the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy are buying in 2016.

For the US Air Force: Summary of US 2016 Aircraft Weapons Procurement

For the U.S. Navy: US 2016 ship and submarine procurement

Pentagon To Buy Nearly A Half-Billion Dollars Worth Of Chicken Over Three Years

Pentagon buys nearly a half-billion dollars worth of chicken. pic.twitter.com/4bcj94o7QT
— Mark Thompson (@MarkThompson_DC) March 4, 2014

My Comment: An army needs to march on it's stomach .... but wow .... that is a lot of chicken.

Army Intelligence System To Detect IEDs Criticized As Not Suitable

Army Critical Of Its Controversial Intelligence System -- CNN

An intelligence gathering system widely used by the Army in Afghanistan to detect roadside bombs and predict insurgent activity has severe limitations and is "not suitable," according to a memo from the Army's senior equipment tester to the Army's chief of staff, Gen. Raymond Odierno.

The e-mail memo was sent to Odierno on August 1, and comes as the system - known as the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) - is in the middle of Army and congressional investigations.

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My Comment: It appears that US military procurement for software is just as dysfunctional as it is when procuring hardware.

A U.S. Military Procurement Delivered Ahead of Schedule And Under Budget

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney from Connecticut during a press conference at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard to announce the Navy's acceptance of the Virginia-class attack submarine Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Mississippi (SSN 782). US Navy photo

The Navy’s New Sub Comes In A Year Early. How? -- DoD Buzz

Who says that defense acquisitions are broken and no one cares?

This week, General Dynamics’ Electric Boat yard delivered the Navy’s newest fast attack submarine, the future USS Mississippi, almost one year ahead of schedule. The sub’s contract delivery date was April 30, 2013, and the Navy got the metaphorical keys on Wednesday.

Service officials and industry leaders are seldom so pleased. And not only did the ship come in early, the Navy said, it’s the best-built, most-complete one yet.

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Update: 9th Virginia Class Nuclear Sub Delivered to the US Navy One Year Ahead of Schedule -- Defense Update

My Comment: Unfortunately .... the delivery of the USS Mississippi early and under budget is the exception ..... not the rule .... for U.S. military procurement.

Why It's So Hard To Cut A U.S. Defense Program

F-35 Story Shows Why It's So Hard To Cut A Federal Program -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — For all its high-tech stealth and record price tag, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter embodies the droll military motto, "Hurry up and wait."

Conceived in the heady post-Cold War 1990s, the futuristic fifth-generation jet fighter was to be a technological marvel built in a rush and paid for with "peace dividend" dollars.

But now with the economic crash, the fighter is billions over budget and years behind schedule.

Here's part of the problem: axing the F-35 would eliminate tens of thousands of jobs in 47 states. Few members of Congress are willing to go along.

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My Comment: Tens of thousands of jobs, coupled with tens of thousands of jobs tied in with these jobs .... no politician in his right mind would want to cut a program that may end up throwing scores of his voters into the unemployment line. Unfortunately .... with trillion dollar deficits .... this may actually happen regardless of the political pressures on politicians to not cut programs like the F-35..

Are Faulty Grenades Being Shipped To Soldiers In Iraq And Afghanistan?

Former Employee Alleges Military Contractor Is Selling Faulty Grenades To The U.S. Army -- ABC News

TAMPA - In over 25 years as a quality assurance expert, John King worked on some of the best known weapons systems made in the U.S. from the Patriot to the Hellfire Missile.

He worked for Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and the Army itself.

But there is a huge difference between working on a weapons system and working on a weapons system that a member of your own family will depend upon. And that's exactly what happened when King went to work for a subsidiary of Tampa-based DSE Inc., which makes 40mm grenades used by just about every branch of the U.S. military.

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My Comment: If serious injuries occurred or lives were lost because of this ....people must be held accountable.

Should We Sell Companies Vital To America's National Security To Oversea Concerns?

Newport News shipyard crane (Joe Fudge, Daily Press file photo / December 14, 2007)

Navy Cautious On Foreign Ownership Of Northrop's Shipyards -- Daily Press

NEWPORT NEWS —— Foreign ownership of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s nuclear shipbuilding business "would present significant challenges" for the U.S. Navy, a spokesman said Monday.

Northrop, whose Newport News shipyard is the sole manufacturer and refueler of the Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of two to build nuclear-powered Navy submarines, said last week it is seeking strategic alternatives for its shipbuilding enterprise, which includes selling or spinning off the unit.

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My Comment: With China owning a good chunk of America's debt .... I am sure many decisions done in Washington are now made with an eye on how China would react. The same can be said about companies that are owned by foreign nationals .... will companies be loyal to the needs of the U.S., or will the owners be influenced by the government that they are operating in. As a non-U.S. citizen this is not complicated, I will listen to the government that I live in (i.e. Canada) more than what the U.S. will tell me.

Pentagon Set For An Overhaul

From The Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON -- The House on Thursday unanimously passed a bill aimed at revamping the Defense Department's system for acquiring weapons, helping set the stage for a change to the sometimes-unwieldy procurement process.

The legislation, which passed 411-0, enjoys strong support from the administration. Mr. Obama plans to sign the bill Friday morning. The measure would create a Senate-confirmed director of cost assessment and program evaluation within the Pentagon. The bill also contains a provision that would require that contracts that are over budget by 25% at a certain stage face a review for termination.

New conflict-of-interest requirements in the bill, which the Senate approved unanimously on Wednesday, would require the Defense Department to revise its rules to ensure less intermingling among companies handling different parts of a major military contract.

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My Comment: This is not the first overhaul in the Pentagon .... nor will it be the last.

The Procurement Holiday Begins

Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman Newport News (Photo from How Stuff Works)
The USS Ronald Reagan, under construction in the Northrop Grumman Newport News dry dock

From In From The Cold:

From this blog, almost four months ago...

"..there's another element of the Clinton legacy (and the 1990s) that often goes ignored. We refer to the so-called "procurement holiday" that gripped the Pentagon during that decade. Critical decisions on major weapons programs were postponed or shelved, forcing the Pentagon to extend the service lives of existing systems.

Investor's Business Daily aptly described the problem--and its consequences--in an editorial published earlier this year: In the first six years of the Clinton administration, Bush 41's budget projections for weapons procurement were slashed by $160 billion. For fiscal 2000, the Congressional Budget Office said $90 billion a year was needed to hold procurement steady. The Clinton procurement budget was a mere $55 billion. During the Reagan buildup (fiscal 1981-87), we spent an average of $131 billion on procurement.

And the effects of Mr. Clinton's procurement holiday are still being felt today, almost a decade after he left office.

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My Comment: A good post that is unfortunately very true.

A Military Project Back From The Dead

Poof! Black Sat Program Is Baaack! -- DOD Buzz

Reports of the death of a crucial satellite system known as BASIC have been grossly exaggerated.

The Associated Press and other media outlets reported 10 days ago that $1 billion for BASIC was cut by the House and Senate Appropriations intelligence subcommittees, canceling the program.

Well, as often happens with intelligence spending, the picture is much more complicated and nuanced, according to a senior Pentagon source and a congressional aide.

Here’s the money picture:The money is still there, but it now lives in different places and may be used for different purposes than those for which the administration had planned. In the Program Objective Memorandum, there is money — $700 million — in the Military Intelligence Program MIP for 2010 and 2011 but not for 2009. The $700 milllion is earmarked for what the intelligence community and Pentagon call Tier 2, a satellite imagery capability band which includes BASIC and high-resolution commercial imagery. The congressional appropriators moved $350 million in the 2009 to the National Intelligence Program. Broadly speaking, the MIP is managed by the Pentagon and the NIP is managed by the DNI.

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