Raising a Concurrency Concern:

The plan to “concurrently test and produce” the Joint Strike Fighter does not sit well with the Government Accountability Office. In recent testimony before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, Michael Sullivan, GAO’s director of acquisition and sourcing management, claims that similar development strategies on other programs have led to cost overruns and delays. He says it’s a case of lack of maturity in program designs, something that only comes through extensive testing. In response to questions, Sullivan asserted simply, “We think that they should fly before they buy.”