Comments From the Department of Defense Now on pp. 13, 75-76. well. A general officer from the Joint Staff is a member of the Program Review Group Military advice from a joint services perspective similarly is provided regularly and comprehensively during the systems acquisition process led by the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition & Technology). Joint Staff analysts are members of system Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) that prepare evaluations and documentation on systems progress. Joint Staff representatives are present at all meetings of the Overarching Integrated Product Teams (OIPTs) that evaluate the readiness of systems to be presented to the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) for approval for advancement to the next acquisition milestone. Similarly, the Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the vice chairman of the DAB. The Vice Chairman also is chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), which reviews in detail the joint requirements for all major acquisition programs prior to a DAB review. 。 RECOMMENDATION 2: To be of most value, the GAO also recommended that such DOD RESPONSE: Partially concur. The Department agrees that mission area Examples of how the PPBS has worked recently to adjust Service programs to best meet overall DoD within resource constraints include the decision in 1993 to delay retirement of the Air Force F-111F force pending further development of advanced Comments From the Department of Defense Now on pp. 13, 75-76. weapons and targeting systems for other aircraft; the decision in 1994 to delay Joint 。 RECOMMENDATION 3: The GAO further recommended that the assessments need to examine the projected impact of investments, retirements, and cancellations on other mission areas since some assets contribute to multiple mission areas. Where investments are needed in more than one mission area, the GAO asserted that the Chairman's responsibility to assess their relative priority and contribution to overall warfighting capability is crucial in considering the results of the assessment teams. (p.14, p.91/GAO Draft Report) DOD RESPONSE. Partially concur. The Department agrees that mission assessments There are other examples. The Sea-Air-Space Superiority JWCA conducted an "end-to-end" assessment of the best way to gain air superiority. Ground, Special Operations, and other forces were considered fully, and in some cases endorsed, as the best means of accomplishing selected tasks in gaining air superiority. The Theater Missile Defense (TMD) Attack Operations study, led by the Strike JWCA, drew in five other JWCA teams: Command and Control; Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance; SeaAir-Space Superiority; Land & Littoral Warfare; and Counterproliferation, with the PSISR study group involved as well. The Land & Littoral Warfare and Strike JWCAs are collaborating on analysis of joint munitions requirements, as well as on other matters. 。 RECOMMENDATION 4: To enhance the effectiveness of the assessments, the GAO also recommended that the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1) decide how best to provide analytical support to the assessment teams, (2) assure Comments From the Department of Defense Now on pp. 13, 75-76. staff continuity, and (3) allow the teams the latitude to examine the full range of air power issues. (p.14, p.91/GAO Draft Report) DoD RESPONSE. Partially Concur. The Department agrees that the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should give guidance concerning needed analytical support, but disagrees that such support has been inadequate for decisionmaking. Efforts to further improve the DoD's analytical process are continuing. To satisfy the need for improved joint analysis tools, the Department has initiated the Joint Analytic Model Improvement Program. This program is intended in the near-term to improve existing models' capabilities to treat joint operations and, over the longer term, to develop a fully joint warfare model called "JWARS". Currently in development, JWARS is planned for release to users in three blocks, in increasing levels of resolution and capability. The first block release is planned for 1998, with subsequent releases at approximately two-year intervals. When complete, JWARS is expected to provide substantial improvements in cross-Service and crossmission analysis. Appendix V Major Contributors to This Report National Security and International Affairs Division, Washington, D.C. Carol R. Schuster, Associate Director William C. Meredith, Project Director Marvin E. Casterline, Project Manager Jason Fong, Evaluator Anthony J. DeFrank, Evaluator Dale O. Wineholt, Evaluator Nancy L. Ragsdale, Evaluator (Communications Analyst) |