Accession Number:

AD1157919

Title:

Missile Defense: The Warfighter and Decision Makers Would Benefit from Better Communication about the System's Capabilities and Limitations

Descriptive Note:

[Technical Report, Congressional Report]

Corporate Author:

United States Government Accountability Office

Personal Author(s):

• Chaplain, Cristina
• Miller, LaTonya
• Ambrose, Matthew
• Hassinger, Kristine
• Johnson, Helena
• Kirschbaum, Joe
• Niewiadomski, Wiktor
• Stern, Steven
• Tittle, Brian
• Tran, Hai V.
• Weir, Alyssa
• Woodbury, Tonya
• Wilson, Robin

Report Date:

2018-05-30

Pagination or Media Count:

100

Abstract:

Since 2002, MDA has been developing a Ballistic Missile Defense System that can identify and intercept enemy threats. MDA has received approximately 132 billion and is planning to spend an additional 47.8 billion through fiscal year 2022 to continue its efforts. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 included a provision that GAO annually assess and report on the extent to which MDA has achieved its acquisition goals and objectives. This report addresses 1 the progress MDA made in achieving fiscal year 2017 goals 2 the extent to which MDA uses contracting vehicles known as undefinitized contract actions and 3 the extent to which models provide credible information about the systems operational performance. To do this work, GAO reviewed planned fiscal year 2017 baselines and other documentation and assessed them against baseline reviews and GAOs acquisition best practices guides. In addition, GAO interviewed relevant officials. GAO is making six recommendations to, among other things, improve the way MDA communicates capability deliveries better report information about MDAs use of undefinitized contract actions and address the challenges MDA has encountered with certifying its test models and communicating limitations of those models. DOD partially concurred with the first recommendation and concurred with the other five. GAO continues to believe the recommendations are valid as discussed in the report.

Descriptors:

Subject Categories:

• Antimissile Defense Systems
• Guided Missiles

Distribution Statement:

[A, Approved For Public Release]