Restrictions on flight simulators questioned.

• Position: GOVERNMENT POLICY NOTES

Last month, NDIA President and CEO Lawrence P. Farrell sent a letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Defense Authorization and Appropriations committees expressing concern that a legislative restriction on providing flight simulators to the military services has the potential to seriously impact the readiness of our aviators in the military services.

Section 832 of the Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 109-364) prohibits the secretary of defense from entering into a service contract to acquire a military flight simulator. The secretary of defense may waive this prohibition if he determines that a waiver is necessary for national security purposes and a written economic analysis is provided to the congressional defense committees at least 30 days in advance. The required economic analysis must include a dear explanation of the need for the contract and an examination of at least two alternatives for fulfilling the contract requirement. The waiver requirement in Section 832 would unnecessarily add another layer of oversight that could hinder the acquisition of military flight simulator services and ultimately have a significant impact on readiness.

Recently, members of Congress raised concerns about what they perceive as a general trend toward the use of annual operations and maintenance appropriations funds for long-term equipment needs. NDIA recognizes these concerns, however Section 832 improperly and unnecessarily imposes restrictions on the legitimate use of services contracts. Recognizing Congress' desire for detailed information to show that a given service acquisition is cost effective and...