New GAO Report on Space System Acquisitions
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) yesterday released new testimony entitled “GAO-21-520T Space Acquisitions: DOD Faces Challenges and Opportunities with Acquiring Space Systems in a Changing Environment”.
According to the GAO, “…DOD is acquiring new space systems as its older ones near completion. This testimony discusses DOD's ongoing space acquisition challenges and opportunities. Our prior work found that DOD space programs often exceed their budgets and are late. For several decades, we've identified best practices to improve acquisition outcomes, including having strong program oversight and empowering managers. We also reported on how the DOD space program's organizational structure is changing given the 2019 creation of the Space Force. In this changing environment, DOD has the opportunity to improve how it delivers new capabilities while avoiding past missteps.”
According to the GAO, “…DOD is acquiring new space systems as its older ones near completion. This testimony discusses DOD's ongoing space acquisition challenges and opportunities. Our prior work found that DOD space programs often exceed their budgets and are late. For several decades, we've identified best practices to improve acquisition outcomes, including having strong program oversight and empowering managers. We also reported on how the DOD space program's organizational structure is changing given the 2019 creation of the Space Force. In this changing environment, DOD has the opportunity to improve how it delivers new capabilities while avoiding past missteps.”