Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen said earlier this week at a Pentagon press briefing that “programs that are behind schedule or woefully over budget should be considered for elimination” as the Defense Department and military services seek the planned $450 billion in savings over the next 10 years. However, Mullen also urged, as part of the process, recollection of program history, mentioning the Air Force C-17 and Navy DDG-51—both “in lots of trouble” in the 1990s but which are “certainly stalwarts in our defense and critical to our success.” He emphasized that finding the savings through “strategy-driven decisions” is possible, but even though “there are programs that should be eliminated, I think we just need to do the due diligence to make sure we get the right ones.” (DOD transcript)
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
