Missile defense: addressing cost estimating and reporting shorftalls could improve insight into full costs of programs and flight tests : report to congressional committees.

Format:

Book

Government document

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Missile Defense Agency--Rules and practice--Evaluation.

United States. Missile Defense Agency.

Ballistic missile defenses--United States--Costs.

Weapons systems--United States--Testing--Costs.

Ballistic missile defenses--Costs.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (iii, 52 pages) : color illustrations

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : United States Government Accountability Office, 2022.

Summary:

Since 2002, MDA received over $174 billion to develop a system-of-systems known as the Missile Defense System to detect, track, and defeat enemy missiles. GAO has long reported on MDA's progress in working to improve the system's costs, schedules, and performance. This report assesses the extent to which MDA's program and flight test cost (1) estimates align with GAO's leading practices for cost estimating and (2) information is transparent and traceable when reported to Congress. Congress should consider reviving MDA's semiannual requirement to report on flight test costs, and consider requiring clarification on MDA's flight test reporting methodology. GAO is making six new recommendations to DOD to help improve the completeness and accuracy of MDA's program and flight test cost estimates and reporting.

Contents:

Background.

Program and flight test cost estimates are improving but continue to lack comprehensiveness and accuracy, respectively.

Inadequacies in reported program and flight test costs impede oversight.

Total system costs obscure by shifts across and outside of program baselines.

Conclusions.

Matters for congressional consideration.

Recommendations for executive action.

Agency comments and our evaluation.

Appendices.

Notes:

"February 2022."

"GAO-22-104344."

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on online resource, PDF version; title from cover (GAO, viewed on Dec. 1, 2022).

OCLC:

1298209880