Full Description
The United States government invests billions each year on equipping armed forces with the most advanced military equipment. The root of the American defense acquisition system is driven by a combination of national interests and domestic political requirements. While fundamentally the defense acquisition system has produced results for the United States military, improvements are needed in order to continue to move forward in advancing military tactics and technology. Exploring both the systemic and political levels of the system, Sorenson argues that the United States will fall behind if the current defense acquisition system is not reformed. This book brings together elements of this complicated system, such as national security requirements, and the changes that are needed in both the structural and political pillars. A combination of political interests and the needs of the military, serviced by an ever-shrinking defense industry, make a genuine acquisition reform even more difficult, resulting in reform that is more symbolic than genuine.
Contents
Table of Contents Glossary Acronyms Preface Introduction Chapter 1: The Defense Acquisition Process Evolves Chapter 2: The Current American Defense Acquisition Process Chapter 3: The Defense Industrial Base Chapter 4: The Politics of American Weapons Acquisition Chapter 5: International arms sales and Defense Acquisition Chapter 6: Reforming Defense Acquisition Profiles: The Boeing Company Integrated Defense Systems Profiles: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division Profiles: Lockheed-Martin Profiles: Curtiss-Wright Profiles: Raytheon Profiles: Northrop Grumman Profiles: Pratt & Whitney Division of United Technologies Profiles: The VSE Corporation Document 1: The Goldwater Nichols Act of 1986 Document 2: The Executive-Legislative Budget Process
