Defense Acquisitions
Joint Forces Command's Limited Acquisition Authority Gao ID: GAO-06-240R November 22, 2005In recent years, Congress has expressed concern that urgent joint warfighting requirements are not always met in the most expeditious manner, particularly command and control and blue-force-tracking capabilities that reduce the chances of friendly-fire casualties. In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (P.L. 108-136), Congress gave the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) Limited Acquisition Authority (LAA) to address these and other joint-warfighting challenges. LAA is an authority aimed at ensuring that measures to meet urgent, unanticipated joint warfighting needs are conceived, developed, and fielded in an expeditious manner. Enacted for a 3-year period, LAA will expire after September 30, 2006. The Act required GAO to determine the extent to which LAA has been used. Specifically, we focused on (1) how JFCOM used the authority during fiscal years 2004 and 2005, (2) the processes and procedures JFCOM developed to implement the authority, and (3) the challenges of implementing it. In covering these areas, we did not evaluate the quality of the projects undertaken or the value added of the equipment provided to the warfighter under LAA.
During the first 2 years, fiscal years 2004 and 2005, JFCOM used LAA for six projects. Five were completed 2 to 17 months after being approved, while the sixth is not yet complete. Fielded capabilities include a precision air drop system for small (e.g., 2,000 pounds) logistics packages; a system designed to identify and locate improvised explosive devices; a system to improve blue-force-tracking to prevent friendly-fire casualties; and advanced, mobile, command and control systems for commanders. According to JFCOM, these projects accelerated capabilities to the warfighter by providing 60- to 80-percent interim solutions rather than waiting years for a 100-percent solution. The Command leverages existing technologies, Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations, and on-going agency research and development efforts for its LAA projects. Funding for completed projects has totaled about $9 million in research, development, test, and evaluation funds, ranging from about $500,000 to $3 million per project. No procurement funding has been used. Funding has mostly come from JFCOM. The sixth project is a hands-free two-way translator that seeks to provide real-time translation between spoken English and other spoken languages, particularly Iraqi Arabic. For the six projects, JFCOM has been following a set of policies and practices, which it formalized in July 2005. To use the LAA, JFCOM can only consider those requests that are to meet a combatant command's needs. Once a request is received, JFCOM follows a process to define, fund, and execute a project to satisfy the request. In general, the process consists of multiple phases, including concept development; proposal review using specified criteria, including checks for duplication of effort; feasibility studies and final approval by the JFCOM commander; finding project funding; arranging for contracting; and executing the project. JFCOM has decided to manage its process with a staff of generally 2 part-time people. For contracting, JFCOM mostly relies on other organizations, including five Department of Defense (DOD) organizations that have been directed by the DOD to assist with the LAA. Finally, while the JFCOM LAA staff brokers the LAA process and facilitates the projects, it does not actually execute them. Execution is mostly handled by traditional acquisition organizations, such as service development organizations. In implementing LAA, JFCOM has faced challenges in finding funding for and sustaining LAA projects. Our work has shown that assessing the effectiveness and utility of the capabilities after they have been fielded has also been a challenge. Because LAA is an authority, not a program, it does not have budgeted funds. To implement an LAA project, JFCOM LAA staff must find a source for the funds, such as from a service, existing program of record, or defense agency. This keeps the projects austere, but adds to the time it takes to get a new capability to the field. In some cases, JFCOM has taken funds from its own programs to pay for LAA projects. After a capability has been acquired, an obligation for sustainment is created, which LAA does not cover. JFCOM tries to identify a Service, defense agency, or other entity's program of record to adopt it for long-term sustainment. Finally, JFCOM has not had a systematic process to assess the effectiveness and utility of the LAA capabilities after fielding. JFCOM officials informed us that they are currently changing LAA processes and procedures to require effectiveness assessment plans as part of LAA proposals.
GAO-06-240R, Defense Acquisitions: Joint Forces Command's Limited Acquisition Authority
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United States Government Accountability Office:
Washington, DC 20548:
November 22, 2005:
The Honorable John Warner:
Chairman:
The Honorable Carl Levin:
Ranking Minority Member:
Committee on Armed Services:
United States Senate:
The Honorable Duncan L. Hunter:
Chairman:
The Honorable Ike Skelton
Ranking Minority Member:
Committee on Armed Services:
House of Representatives:
Subject: Defense Acquisitions: Joint Forces Command's Limited
Acquisition Authority:
In recent years, Congress has expressed concern that urgent joint
warfighting requirements are not always met in the most expeditious
manner, particularly command and control and blue-force-tracking
capabilities that reduce the chances of friendly-fire casualties. In
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (P.L. 108-
136), Congress gave the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) Limited
Acquisition Authority (LAA) to address these and other joint-
warfighting challenges. LAA is an authority aimed at ensuring that
measures to meet urgent, unanticipated joint warfighting needs are
conceived, developed, and fielded in an expeditious manner. Enacted for
a 3-year period, LAA will expire after September 30, 2006. The Act
required GAO to determine the extent to which LAA has been used.
Specifically, we focused on (1) how JFCOM used the authority during
fiscal years 2004 and 2005, (2) the processes and procedures JFCOM
developed to implement the authority, and (3) the challenges of
implementing it. In covering these areas, we did not evaluate the
quality of the projects undertaken or the value added of the equipment
provided to the warfighter under LAA.
Summary:
During the first 2 years, fiscal years 2004 and 2005, JFCOM used LAA
for six projects. Five were completed 2 to 17 months after being
approved, while the sixth is not yet complete. Fielded capabilities
include a precision air drop system for small (e.g., 2,000 pounds)
logistics packages; a system designed to identify and locate improvised
explosive devices; a system to improve blue-force-tracking to prevent
friendly-fire casualties; and advanced, mobile, command and control
systems for commanders. According to JFCOM, these projects accelerated
capabilities to the warfighter by providing 60-to 80-percent interim
solutions rather than waiting years for a 100-percent solution. The
Command leverages existing technologies, Advanced Concept Technology
Demonstrations, and on-going agency research and development efforts
for its LAA projects. Funding for completed projects has totaled about
$9 million in research, development, test, and evaluation funds,
ranging from about $500,000 to $3 million per project. No procurement
funding has been used. Funding has mostly come from JFCOM. The sixth
project is a hands-free two-way translator that seeks to provide real-
time translation between spoken English and other spoken languages,
particularly Iraqi Arabic.
For the six projects, JFCOM has been following a set of policies and
practices, which it formalized in July 2005. To use the LAA, JFCOM can
only consider those requests that are to meet a combatant command's
needs. Once a request is received, JFCOM follows a process to define,
fund, and execute a project to satisfy the request. In general, the
process consists of multiple phases, including concept development;
proposal review using specified criteria, including checks for
duplication of effort; feasibility studies and final approval by the
JFCOM commander; finding project funding; arranging for contracting;
and executing the project. JFCOM has decided to manage its process with
a staff of generally 2 part-time people. For contracting, JFCOM mostly
relies on other organizations, including five Department of Defense
(DOD) organizations that have been directed by the DOD to assist with
the LAA. Finally, while the JFCOM LAA staff brokers the LAA process and
facilitates the projects, it does not actually execute them. Execution
is mostly handled by traditional acquisition organizations, such as
service development organizations.
In implementing LAA, JFCOM has faced challenges in finding funding for
and sustaining LAA projects. Our work has shown that assessing the
effectiveness and utility of the capabilities after they have been
fielded has also been a challenge. Because LAA is an authority, not a
program, it does not have budgeted funds. To implement an LAA project,
JFCOM LAA staff must find a source for the funds, such as from a
service, existing program of record, or defense agency. This keeps the
projects austere, but adds to the time it takes to get a new capability
to the field. In some cases, JFCOM has taken funds from its own
programs to pay for LAA projects. After a capability has been acquired,
an obligation for sustainment is created, which LAA does not cover.
JFCOM tries to identify a Service, defense agency, or other entity's
program of record to adopt it for long-term sustainment. Finally, JFCOM
has not had a systematic process to assess the effectiveness and
utility of the LAA capabilities after fielding. JFCOM officials
informed us that they are currently changing LAA processes and
procedures to require effectiveness assessment plans as part of LAA
proposals.
Background:
LAA is intended to allow JFCOM to rapidly provide battle management,
command and control, communications, and intelligence equipment, and
any other equipment the JFCOM commander determines is necessary to
facilitate the use of joint forces in military operations or enhance
the interoperability of equipment used by joint forces. The law limits
the size of LAA projects to those with estimated costs per system of
less than $10 million for research, development, test and evaluation
(RDT&E), and less than $50 million for procurement.
JFCOM is one of the nine combatant commands in DOD and provides joint-
capable forces and joint capabilities that support the Global War on
Terrorism and combatant commanders' operational needs. Also, JFCOM is
DOD's joint-force integrator and interoperability advocate for the
combatant commands, leads joint-force transformation and joint
experimentation in DOD, and produces joint concepts and capabilities.
LAA is one of several authorities for rapid acquisition that has been
created to try to put improved warfighting capabilities in the field
faster than the conventional acquisition processes typically allow. One
such authority is the Secretary of Defense's Rapid Acquisition
Authority (RAA), which allows the Secretary to identify equipment as
urgently needed to eliminate a combat-capability deficiency that has
resulted in combat fatalities. LAA is broader than RAA authority. RAA
allows the acquisition of only specific equipment that eliminates a
capability deficiency that has already caused combat fatalities, and
RAA projects must be approved by the Secretary of Defense. LAA allows
the acquisition of many types of equipment before and after combat
fatalities occur, and LAA projects are approved by the JFCOM commander.
According to JFCOM officials, it is only through LAA that JFCOM has the
authority to satisfy the unanticipated, unbudgeted, urgent mission
needs of other combatant commands.
JFCOM Has Used LAA for Six Projects:
Since its enactment, JFCOM has used LAA for six projects. Five were
completed and deployed--primarily to warfighters in Iraq and
Afghanistan--2 to 17 months after being approved. A sixth project is
ongoing. According to JFCOM, these completed projects accelerated
capabilities to the warfighter by providing 60-to 80-percent interim
solutions to battlefield problems, rather than waiting years for a 100-
percent solution. Total cost for the five completed projects has been
about $9 million in RDT&E funds. Procurement funds have not been used
so far. Details are shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Description of the Six LAA Projects:
Project name: Change Detection Work Station;
Capability provided: Detect landmines and improvised explosive devices
along convoy routes by using visual imagery to identify and locate
changes in terrain;
LAA cost: ($ in millions): $0.55;
Number of months to complete project after request approved: 5 - 11;
Deployment dates: November 2004-May 2005.
Project name: Command and Control on the Move;
Capability provided: Improved communication package for commanders,
allowing broadband reach-back to information while on the move over
rough terrain or dismounted from a vehicle;
LAA cost: ($ in millions): $1.95;
Number of months to complete project after request approved: 11 - 14;
Deployment dates: April 2005 - July 2005.
Project name: Joint Precision Air Drop System 2,000 Pounds;
Capability provided: High-altitude precision air drop of logistics
support packages for forces where ground delivery or an airfield is not
available;
LAA cost: ($ in millions): $2.19;
Number of months to complete project after request approved: 16 - 17;
Deployment dates: September 2005-October 2005.
Project name: Joint Task Force Commander Executive Command and Control;
Capability provided: For joint task force commanders, remote access to
classified and unclassified networks while away from the headquarters
compound;
LAA cost: ($ in millions): $0.85;
Number of months to complete project after request approved: 4 - 15;
Deployment dates: September 2004-August 2005.
Project name: Joint Translator Forwarder-Rapid Attack Information
Dissemination Execution Relay-Joint Blue Force Situational Awareness;
Capability provided: Provides machine-to-machine transfer of blue-
force-tracking data from battle management, command and control systems
to strike aircraft by integrating blue-force-tracking capabilities
across the theater;
LAA cost: ($ in millions): $3.38;
Number of months to complete project after request approved: 2 - 5;
Deployment dates: June 2005-September 2005.
Project name: Simultaneous 2-Way Speech Translation;
Capability provided: Expected to provide a hands-free device for
simultaneous translation of American English to Iraqi Arabic and vice
versa;
LAA cost: ($ in millions): $15.0: $6.4 RDT&E + $8.6 procurement
(estimated);
Number of months to complete project after request approved: On-going;
Deployment dates: On-going.
[End of table]
JFCOM has drawn on extant, mature technologies for its LAA projects. In
addition, JFCOM has used parts of existing service or defense-agency
Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations and other efforts to rapidly
develop and/or acquire a new, joint capability for the warfighter. For
example, the Change Detection Work Station project originated from an
extant Joint Area Clearance Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration
that uses visual imagery to detect land mines by detecting changes in
terrain. Using LAA, this technology was modified to detect improvised
explosive devices along convoy routes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Similarly, the Joint Precision Air Drop System 2,000 Pounds project
originated from an extant Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration
focused on developing precision air-drop systems for 10,000-and 30,000-
pound loads. Using LAA, this technology was modified to handle much
smaller loads for re-supplying Special Operations teams operating in
Iraq. Half of the LAA projects originated from existing, joint
technology demonstration programs. According to JFCOM, LAA projects
also can originate from commercial-and government-off-the-shelf
products and one of JFCOM's subordinate commands--the Joint Systems
Integration Command.
Processes and Procedures Used By JFCOM to Manage LAA:
JFCOM has adopted a number of processes and procedures to manage LAA.
These include processes and criteria for screening requests for LAA
projects. JFCOM uses a small staff to manage the LAA process, and
leverages and partners with a variety of other organizations to fund,
contract for, and execute LAA projects.
JFCOM Uses a Process to Screen Requests for LAA Projects:
For the six projects undertaken so far, JFCOM has been following a
process, which it formalized in July 2005. The LAA process consists of
multiple phases, which can be tailored to meet requests as
expeditiously as possible. The phases are:
* Proposal Receipt - JFCOM can only consider those requests or
proposals that come from or are validated by a combatant command. A
request or proposal may come directly from a combatant command, or may
be submitted by a component commander or service. However, in the
latter case, JFCOM cannot consider the request unless a combatant
command validates it as an urgent operational need in its assigned area
of responsibility.
* Feasibility Assessment - the requested capability must be readily
obtainable or have a reasonable expectation of being developed in a
year. The assessment includes a technical evaluation; value versus cost
determination; ascertaining if parallel or competing initiatives are
underway; assessing materiel and non-materiel approaches to resolve the
shortfall or interoperability deficiency; and determination of whether
a proof of concept evaluation is required and what pass/fail criteria
should be applied. Exploratory testing of various system elements or of
the entire system is conducted if necessary as part of this feasibility
assessment.
* Proposal Review and Approval - the JFCOM Judge Advocate's Office
reviews the proposed project to make sure it complies with the LAA
statute. The JFCOM commander has final approval authority.
* Locating and Obtaining Funding - JFCOM develops a plan of action for
the project, and finds funding. The JFCOM comptroller reviews each
project's funding to make sure the proper appropriation is used and
that total costs stay within LAA statutory limits.
* Contracting - any new contracts or modifications to existing
contracts required for the project are obtained.
* Project Execution - the product is developed and/or acquired and the
capability delivered to the warfighter. JFCOM's oversight and
accountability for LAA capabilities ends within two years of the
approval of an LAA request.
The desired capability must not duplicate capabilities under
development elsewhere in DOD or that are part of an existing program of
record or program objective memorandum. The requested capability can,
however, accelerate such capabilities. To avoid duplication, according
to JFCOM, it coordinates with Advanced Concept Technology
Demonstrations and engineering and systems acquisition commands across
DOD to determine if the requested capability already exists. One effort
to avoid duplication involves the JFCOM science advisors. Each of the
services has a science advisor located at JFCOM who checks with the
Defense Technical Information Center, a repository of technical
information in DOD. Another effort involves a JFCOM official who
coordinates with the Program Executive Office Interchange--an
initiative that supports Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps
command and control program executive offices--to find out if any
similar efforts exist in the services.
Based on its screening process, JFCOM does not accept all requests made
to use LAA. For example, JFCOM rejected two requests during fiscal year
2004. The Collaborative Information Environment was rejected because no
combatant command would validate it as an urgent operational need and
the cost exceeded LAA statutory limits. Another request, for the Joint
Extended Collaborative Environment, was rejected because again no
combatant command would validate it as an urgent operational need and
the Army was already developing a capability that met the need,
according to JFCOM.
Testing for LAA projects can be limited and is sometimes conducted by
the warfighter upon receipt of the capabilities. However, field
operational tests are conducted for all LAA capabilities, and training
plans are prepared before the capabilities are fielded, according to
JFCOM officials. Prior to the field operational tests, requirements for
testing LAA projects can vary depending on the equipment involved. For
example, if the LAA capability consists of commercial-or government-
off-the-shelf products that are already configured for military use, no
hardware testing would be required. On the other hand, if the LAA
capability required new software to be developed, it would have to be
tested prior to delivery to the warfighter.
JFCOM Uses a Small Staff to Manage LAA Process:
JFCOM leverages and partners with a variety of other organizations to
fund, contract for, and execute LAA projects. This enables JFCOM to
keep its LAA staff small--generally 2 part-time people. Their primary
role is to identify and work with various organizations to leverage and
form partnerships for LAA projects. JFCOM officials commented that such
leveraging and partnering help to promote the concept of jointness. For
example, JFCOM has sought and obtained funds from the Naval Air Warfare
Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., for the Change Detection
Work Station.
JFCOM, by choice, does not have dedicated acquisition staff for LAA
projects. For contracting services, JFCOM mostly relies on other
acquisition organizations in the services and defense agencies. For
example, Army and Navy acquisition organizations have provided
contracting services for various LAA projects. DOD has directed five
acquisition organizations to provide acquisition services for LAA on a
priority basis; however, JFCOM is not limited to using only these five.
Similarly, staff from a JFCOM subordinate command has directed or
accomplished LAA projects, but mostly the project execution staff is
part of the service or entity that is actually conducting the project.
For example, the work for the Change Detection Work Station was
conducted at the Army Communications and Electronics Command's Night
Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, and the work on the Joint
Precision Air Drop System 2,000 Pounds was conducted at the Army Natick
Soldier Center and at the Air Force Air Mobility Command. A project's
execution staff is part of JFCOM only if the project is actually being
executed by a JFCOM organization. For example, the Joint Task Force
Commander Executive Command and Control project was fully executed by a
JFCOM subordinate command, the Joint Systems Integration Command, and
the Command and Control on the Move project was partially executed by
this command as well.
Challenges in Implementing LAA:
JFCOM has experienced two challenges in implementing LAA: locating and
obtaining funding to move the project through the process, and
arranging for the sustainment of the LAA products once they have been
fielded. Our work has shown that assessing the effectiveness and
utility of the capabilities after they have been fielded has also been
a challenge.
Funding LAA Projects and Sustaining LAA Products:
Since LAA is an authority, not a program, it does not have budgeted
funds. After an LAA proposal is evaluated and approved by the JFCOM
commander, JFCOM LAA staff must locate and obtain funding in order to
execute the project. According to JFCOM officials, this is accomplished
by contacting various organizations to determine if they are able to
provide funds to support it.
While the search for funding provides incentives for coordination and
keeping projects austere, it also increases the length of time it takes
to field the capability. For example, it took about 17 months to field
the Joint Precision Air Drop System 2,000 Pounds. Seven months (40
percent) of this time were required to locate and obtain the funding.
It also took several months to locate and obtain funding for the Joint
Translator Forwarder-Rapid Attack Information Dissemination Execution
Relay-Joint Blue Force Situational Awareness project. The proposal for
this project was originally submitted in fiscal year 2004, and two
funding sources were identified. However, one of these sources was
unable to provide its share of the funding in fiscal year 2004 as
initially planned. Consequently, the project was put on hold for about
a year until fiscal year 2005 when it could be fully funded. The
capability was fielded about 6 months after funding was obtained.
Similarly, the Simultaneous 2-Way Speech Translation project is now on-
going, but it has not been funded. JFCOM staff is searching for funding
to execute it.
When locating funding for an LAA project proved especially difficult,
JFCOM funded all or part of the LAA project itself by offsetting funds
from its own programs. For example, JFCOM contributed funds to the
Change Detection Work Station, and fully funded the Command and Control
on the Move and Joint Task Force Commander Executive Command and
Control projects. JFCOM officials commented that the loss of funds had
a negative impact on the donor programs.
LAA does not provide the authority for product sustainment after
deployment, yet capabilities fielded under LAA nonetheless must be
sustained in the field. According to JFCOM, product sustainment is
covered by operations and maintenance authority, which LAA does not
include. Therefore, once a capability has been acquired under LAA,
JFCOM tries to find an organization---such as a combatant command,
service, defense agency, or program of record--to adopt it for short-
and long-term sustainment. Although a system fielded under LAA
typically belongs to the combatant command that took custody of it, the
command may not have funds readily available to pay for the sustainment
costs. JFCOM officials commented that the timing of the DOD budget
cycle is a primary factor for organizations dealing with the
sustainment issue. LAA capabilities are acquired rapidly in response to
urgent and emergent needs, and typically fall outside the timeframes of
the normal DOD budgeting cycle. As a result, organizations usually have
not budgeted for an LAA project or sustainment of an LAA product. There
is often a waiting period until sustainment of the product can be
included in the organization's next budget cycle.
Thus far, JFCOM has used its own operations and maintenance funding
authority and funds to provide short-term sustainment during the
"bridge" period while LAA projects are awaiting adoption by another
organization. For example, in fiscal year 2005, the Joint Systems
Integration Command--one of JFCOM's subordinate commands--funded the
sustainment costs of the Joint Task Force Commander Executive Command
and Control project as well as the Command and Control on the Move
project. JFCOM has negotiated long-term sustainment plans in place for
four of the five fielded LAA capabilities. For example, the Change
Detection Work Station will be integrated into a service program of
record in fiscal year 2009 and the Command and Control on the Move
project in fiscal year 2006. However, JFCOM is still searching for a
program or organization to adopt the Joint Task Force Commander
Executive Command and Control capability in fiscal year 2006.
Assessing the Effectiveness and Utility of LAA Projects:
Capabilities provided by LAA projects are expected to provide tangible
benefits to the warfighter. For the six LAA projects, the expected
benefits include saving lives, vehicles, aircraft, and equipment;
improving command and control communication; reducing command and
control network and information-connection costs; and helping overcome
shortages of skilled linguists. Expected benefits also include
providing information on the performance of fielded capabilities to
related programs of record.
However, JFCOM has not had a process in place to systematically and
routinely assess the effectiveness and utility of capabilities after
they have been fielded, or to capture performance information that can
be provided to other projects and programs. JFCOM has received some
positive feedback from warfighters about fielded capabilities, but it
has been largely limited and anecdotal. For example, positive email
messages have been received from recipients of two LAA products. In
some cases more concrete, albeit incomplete, performance data have been
available. For example, according to JFCOM, use of the Joint Task Force
Commander Executive Command and Control capability substantially
reduced connection costs. Also, indications are that the new blue-
force-tracking capability has significantly reduced the time needed to
determine red targets.
JFCOM is currently in the process of revising the LAA process and
procedures to require that LAA proposals include a plan to assess the
effectiveness of the fielded capabilities. LAA projects will also be
required to provide that assessment to JFCOM.
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
The Department of Defense had no comments on a draft of this report.
Scope and Methodology:
To determine how JFCOM has used LAA during fiscal years 2004 and 2005,
we obtained information on and documentation for all LAA projects from
JFCOM, located in Norfolk, Va. We also interviewed JFCOM officials, and
officials in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,
Technology, and Logistics, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy;
and in the Joint Staff, Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment
Directorate (J8), both located in Arlington, Va. To describe the
policies, processes, and procedures for LAA, we obtained and analyzed
the LAA directive and instruction that JFCOM developed and issued in
July 2005, and interviewed JFCOM officials about them. We also obtained
and analyzed information on how these policies and processes are
actually implemented. To identify the challenges that JFCOM has faced
in implementing LAA, we interviewed JFCOM officials and analyzed
documentary information. We did not obtain information from other
organizations significantly involved in JFCOM's use of its LAA, such as
the various organizations that JFCOM has leveraged and partnered with
for LAA projects or combatant commands receiving LAA products.
We conducted our work from June to November 2005 in accordance with
generally accepted government auditing standards.
We plan to provide copies of this report to the Secretary of Defense;
the Commander of JFCOM; and interested congressional committees. We
will also make copies available to others upon request. In addition,
the report will be available at no charge on the GAO web site at
http://www.gao.gov. If you or your staff has any questions concerning
this report, please contact me at (202) 512-4841. Key contributors to
the report include D. Catherine Baltzell, Joseph E. Dewechter, Bonita
J.P. Oden, Sylvia Schatz, and Greg Campbell.
Signed by:
Paul L. Francis:
Director:
Acquisition and Sourcing Management:
