WASHINGTON — As Congress debates the merits of various acquisition reform plans, the US Army's Chief of Staff is calling for the services to take on a greater role in the acquisition process.
Speaking to reporters July 17, Gen. Ray Odierno stopped just short of endorsing either version of the acquisition reform, but said, "I think there has to be some adjustments" to the current structure.
"I am on the record saying the chiefs of staff of the services absolutely have to have more involvement in the acquisition process," Odierno said. "I believe that we have practical experience and understanding of how you apply the programs we're using, and I think we should be more involved in the process. So I absolutely believe in that."
He also dismissed concerns that changing the acquisition authorities could result in weakened oversight of major programs.
"I also believe that there are some levels of oversight that should be given back to the services — not completely, we need oversight from OSD — but I think there is some that should be given back to the services," he said.
His comments came just two days after the Senate Armed Services Committee received a letter from Defense Secretary Ash Carter, obtained by Defense News, that cites "significant concerns" with acquisition reform language that is being discussed as the House and Senate continue to conference on a final form for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
In particular, Carter takes a stab at language in the Senate version of the NDAA put forth by SASC Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that would move acquisition authorities away from the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics (AT&L), the position currently filled by Frank Kendall. Removing those authorities, Carter wrote, would block Pentagon leaders' abilities to "guard against unwarranted optimism in program planning and budget formulation, and prevent excessive risk-taking during execution — all of which is essential to avoiding overruns and costly delays."
Staffers with the committee have defended the shifting responsibilities as a way to free up AT&L to focus on the big-picture acquisition efforts. However, some experts warn that doing so could have unintended consequences of weakening Office of the Secretary of Defense-level oversight on large programs.
While noting that the Pentagon is willing to increase the role of the service chiefs in the process, Carter writes that the services already have control over program planning, management and execution of programs.
The Senate language as is, Carter warns, would "significantly increase the risk of overly optimistic program planning and budgeting."
Email: amehta@defensenews.com
Twitter: @AaronMehta
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
