Reexamining Military Acquisition Reform

Are We There Yet?

Christopher Hanks, Elliot Axelband, Shuna Lindsay, Mohammed Rehan Malik, Brett Steele

ResearchPublished Jun 2, 2005

In the Department of Defense, 63 distinct acquisition reform (AR) initiatives were undertaken in the 1989-2002 period. This monograph classifies the initiatives according to various criteria: basic AR theme; relationship to acquisition functions; Army recognition; coverage in the DoD 5000 series; relationship to Under Secretary Aldridge’s five goals; coverage in Defense Acquisition University curricula; and relationship to industry attractiveness and return-on-investment models. The analysis made use of interviews with industry and Army Program Management personnel, who were asked: What has been good about acquisition reform? What has been bad? What would you change? In general, industry and Army Program Management personnel acknowledge that some good has come from some AR initiatives, but they argue that many serious structural and cultural impediments still remain that hinder the ability of the acquisition process to deliver desired outcomes in terms of cost, schedule, and performance.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 2005
  • Pages: 168
  • Document Number: MG-291-A

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Chicago Manual of Style

Hanks, Christopher, Elliot Axelband, Shuna Lindsay, Mohammed Rehan Malik, and Brett Steele, Reexamining Military Acquisition Reform: Are We There Yet? Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2005. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG291.html.
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The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Army and conducted by the RAND Arroyo Center.

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