Defense reform misses target.

• Author: Knemeyer, Frank
• Position: Letters - Letter to the Editor

In the September 2004 issue of National Defense, an article by Sandra Erwin addressed how "Technical Skills Shortage Hurts Pentagon's Bottom Line." This "shortage" of technical skills and management capability within the Defense Department is self-inflicted and has resulted from the implementation of questionable "acquisition reform" policies over the past decade. The consequences were, unfortunately, quite predictable. The Pentagon has only itself to blame.

Acquisition reform has been implemented without adequate attention to the government's functional responsibilities of maintaining control, discipline and accountability in acquiring operationally effective weapon systems. The current reform minimizes government direction, guidance and participation, and maximizes privatization and industrial management of Defense Department programs.

American industry has a very capable and productive workforce, but the first priority of corporate management is the profit/loss bottom line. This focus, particularly in the R&D phase, is counter-productive to the required innovation and risk taking needed for the R&D of non-commercial items such as advanced weapon systems. In-house RDT&E...