Outsourcing for the military

Outsourcing some military operations is not new to us; we did it in the last century. But in the 21st century the scale of outsourcing has dramatically increased, both in scale and in time. Lieutenant Colonel Katherine E. White asserts that our management of this outsourcing has not improved, so that outsourcing has become an inefficient, wasteful process. She thinks a culture change is needed. 

First of all, those who use contractors have to acknowledge that they are an integral and essential part of contingency operations personnel. Those agencies that use contractors have to make the contractors an integral part of the agency and a part that does the job required. Acquisition experts who administer contracts, allocate resources, and demand accountability are needed. Thus, agency contracting must be seen as a viable career option; otherwise, the best and the brightest will go elsewhere. 

I guess having a directorate is a big deal in the military. White thinks it vital that a contracting directorate be created. Doing so will make outsource management less likely to be vulnerable to budget cuts and potentially lose acquisition personnel in key areas. Furthermore, establishing a directorate means opportunity for career advancement for personnel, which translates to expertise in acquisition management. 

We've had a fair amount of screw-ups with outsourcing. Maybe White has a point.