CULTURE SHIFT Figure 2


“If we really need a system, we ought to try to buy it as affordably as we can,” Fox said.


“And if we don’t really need a system but we want it, and so we’re going to keep it in there and stretch it, maybe that’s one of the [times] that somebody should stand up and say, ‘Maybe we should pull the plug on this system.’”


TOOLS AND TRADES CAPE provides some tools to aid in afford- ability decisions by assessing the complete range of options and distinguishing criti- cally important capability from “exquisite” capability, Fox said.


EFFICIENTLY USING CONTRACTOR RESOURCES


As illustrated here, multiyear contracts can help reduce costs by efficiently using contractor resources. CAPE is required by law to assess savings from this method.


to look our programs squarely in the eye and ask if we really need them. … What should we give up and when? … How do we know when to pull the plug?”


At the same time, she said, DOD still needs to invest in science and technology. We need “game changers,” Fox said. “The question is where and when to invest,” which makes better buying power all the more important and the involvement of program managers critical.


Determining what’s good enough in capabilities “comes down to an assess- ment of risk,” she said. “If we change the requirements, what risk are we accepting operationally? … What’s the technologi- cal risk of something we want to do? … And then, of course, the cost risk: Can we really afford it?”


These decisions need to be made at the service level, Fox said. Noting former Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert M. Gates’ decision to terminate the Future Combat


88 Army AL&T Magazine


Systems program and to cut back a num- ber of other military programs, Fox asked,


“… shouldn’t we be teeing up those deci- sions for the leadership to make before it gets to the Secretary’s level, especially in a time when the costs and the budget are so constrained?”


This is a shared responsibility, she said, and the AT&L community needs more incentives to identify opportunities for savings and make wise decisions—not just stopgap solutions such as adjusting procurement quantity or buy rate, but decisions of fundamental affordability.


DOD has embraced the notion of Front End Assessments to provide informa- tion for the services’ Program Objective Memorandums and the final program and budget review in the fall.


One such assessment last year, illustrat- ing an analysis of “what’s good enough,” looked at the Long-Range Strike Fam- ily of Systems—the entire portfolio of conventional deep-strike capabilities— focusing on proven technologies to ensure that it could be delivered on time and on budget. The result was DOD’s decision to invest in a penetrating, optionally manned, nuclear-capable bomber.


Also, the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 gives CAPE the role of providing independent cost estimates


WE CAN NEVER FORGET THAT THESE WARFIGHTERS NEED AND DESERVE


THE VERY BEST EQUIPMENT AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN GET IT TO THEM.


”


”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136