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Today is Memorial Day and it is significant that President Obama and Congress strove to get the Procurement Reform Act ( officially the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 ) passed before Memorial Day.
The defense industry and supply chain is remarkably "production" oriented. The focus is passively on what the Government wants rather than proactively understanding the changing needs of combat in different theaters. To quote:
“By and large the government gets what it wants, when it wants it,
for the price it’s wiling to pay,” said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice
president and counsel at the Professional Services Council, who spoke
this week at a panel discussion about the federal acquisition
workforce. However, he said the procurement system still has room for
improvements.
At the same discussion, Steven Schooner, an associate law professor
and co-director of the Government Procurement Law Program at George
Washington University, pointed out the Obama administration views
contractors as lining their pockets at the taxpayers’ expense. Schooner
said the president, Congress and the news media can’t treat contractors
as pariahs because the government can’t operate without contractors’
support."
The intense public scrutiny of defense contracting results in contractors being treated as pariahs,as Schooner says. Consequently, mindless and irrelevant projects take a life of their own while combat troops have changing needs on the ground.Choosing and changing projects quickly is a top requirement in today's globalized world.
Let us hope, that efficiency and communication in the supply chain, right to the brave soldier whether in Afghanistan or South Korea,improves with the Procurement Reform Bill.