I'm talking about the overruns in building weapons. The GAO has just published an assessment of 72 major weapons programs. None of them have been developed using best practices. And the numbers just keep getting bigger. In Fy2000 DOD had committed $790 billion to weapons programs; in FY2007 the number was $1.6 trillion, jst about double in seven years. Inflation hasn't been that bad, has it?
Estimates have deteriorated as well. In FY2000 the total acquisition cost was up 6% from first estimates; in FY2007 it was off by 26%. The average delay in delivery went from 16 months to 21 months.
A good part of the problem is the military's desires for the latest technologies, whether they are proven or not. But, one cannot overlook what appears to be gross mismanagement.
Oh, well. It's only taxpayers' money.
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