Defense Acquisitions : Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs

Annual assessment of Department of Defense (DOD) weapon system acquisitions, an area on GAO's high-risk list. Despite meaningful steps to improve the acquisition of major weapon systems, programs continue to experience cost and schedule overruns. Further, GAO has emphasized the need to sustain the implementation of acquisition reforms and complete developmental testing before beginning production. With continuing budgetary pressures, DOD must address inefficiencies in these programs to free up resources for higher priority needs. This report includes observations on (1) the cost and schedule performance of DOD's 2014 portfolio of 78 major defense acquisition programs; (2) the knowledge attained at key junctures in the acquisition process for 38 programs in development or early production; and (3) key acquisition reform initiatives and program concurrency. Tables and figures. This is a print on demand report.