Reform and experimentation after the Cold War, 1989-2001 / Philip L. Shiman, Elliott V. Converse III, Joseph A. Arena.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Shiman, Philip, author.

Converse, Elliott Vanveltner, author.

Arena, Joseph A., 1983- author.

Contributor:

United States. Department of Defense. Historical Office, issuing body.

Series:

History of acquisition in the Department of Defense ; v. 5.

History of acquisition in the Department of Defense ; volume V

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Department of Defense--Procurement--History.

United States.

United States. Department of Defense--Reorganization--History.

Weapons systems--United States--Case studies.

Weapons systems.

Research and development contracts, Government--United States--History.

Research and development contracts, Government.

United States--Armed Forces--Procurement--History.

United States--Armed Forces--Weapons systems--History.

United States. Department of Defense.

Administrative agencies--Reorganization.

Armed Forces--Procurement.

Armed Forces--Weapons systems.

Genre:

Case studies.

History.

Physical Description:

xxi, 656 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2022.

Summary:

This book, the fifth volume in the History of Acquisition in the Department of Defense series, focuses on the adoption in the 1990s of new concepts and methods for acquiring major weapon systems. The changes came from several quarters - the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services, and Congress - and in response to numerous pressures. The most important of these were the end of the Cold War and the resulting decline in defense spending; advances in weapons technology, especially information technology; and the widespread belief that the acquisition system was failing to deliver the weapon systems the nation needed, when it needed them, and at a cost it was willing to pay. Both President George H. W. Bush and President William J. "Bill" Clinton made correcting acquisition's perceived weaknesses a high priority. Reforms aimed at decreasing the time required to develop and field advanced weapon systems while reducing their cost, strengthening acquisition management and organizations, improving the quality and professionalism of the acquisition workforce, forging new relationships with the defense industry, and tapping the commercial economy for leading-edge technologies, innovative business practices, and finished products easily installed in or adapted to military systems. Despite the many changes of the 1990s, decades-long trends continued: reliance on technologically superior weapons to gain advantage over potential opponents, the centralization of acquisition management in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and congressional push for greater oversight. In-depth case studies of major weapon system programs illustrate how acquisition functioned, particularly in adapting to reforms that sometimes succeeded, sometimes failed, and sometimes had no impact on program outcomes. Taken as a whole, however, the reforms made the acquisition community better able to adopt innovations and best practices from the private sector, more responsive to the users of systems, and more capable of designing policies, organizations, and procedures to address the security threats of the new century. -- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The international order in flux: from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the 9/11 attacks

In Packard's wake: the Defense Management Review, 1989-1990

The failure of oversight and management: the A-12 program

The V-22 Osprey and the politics of defense drawdown, 1989-1992

Acquisition under stress: adapting to war and rethinking reform, 1990-1993

The Clinton administration, Congress, and acquisition reform 1993-1997

Reformers "reengineer" acquisition, 1993-1997

The technology imperative

Acquisition and the computer revolution

Acquisition reform, 1997-2001

The Air Force and acquisition, 1989-2001

The Army and acquisition, 1989-2001

Acquisition in the Navy and Marine Corps, 1989-2001

Restructuring the defense industry, 1989-2001

The defense acquisition workforce, 1989-2001

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 583-616) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Shiman, Philip Reform and experimentation after the Cold War, 1989-2001.

ISBN:

9780160959271

0160959276

OCLC:

1298714830