Posted on 05/22/2004 9:24:28 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
May 22, 2004: The U.S. Department of Defense is going through a rather extreme reorganization at the moment. It’s much more extensive than most people realize. A side effect of this is increased hostility towards current Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. But not because of disagreements over Iraq or the war on terror, but because these reforms threaten defense spending in many Congressional districts, and if that money goes away, it could mean lost elections for the incumbents.
Rumsfeld wants to speed up the procurement (which can now take well over a decade) process and make be more responsive to what the troops actually need. Technology is changing at a faster and faster rate, and the leisurely procurement approach of the past simply doesn’t work. For example, many current “new weapons” are using electronic components that are no longer manufactured because they have been replaced by far more efficient ones. Often, it’s so time consuming and expensive to redesign the electronic components in systems still in development, that the older ones are kept. The electronics systems in the new F-22 fighter are an example of this, but there are many others. The air force is responding by designing new aircraft so that it is easier to install new, and much improved electronics. But Rumsfeld sees speeding things up as the solution. This can easily be done by eliminating a lot of the red tape and “cover your ass” type procedures that have accumulated in the procurement process. But people who make their living by maintaining procedures, are not happy when someone comes in and threatens to change things so much that the procurement process will be unrecognizable to those who have fed off it for so many decades.
Rumsfeld and his fellow reformers want to change many of the restrictions and micro-management habits Congress has piled on to the procurement process over the years. While all this was done, officially to, “make the military more efficient, it has all had the opposite effect. Congressional interference is largely driven by purely political issues (like getting elected, or looking good in the media.) Building equipment the military does not need or want, interfering in promotions and training, or even specifying how the troops should be trained, have all become a standard part of the military landscape. Any Pentagon reform will have to deal with these issues. But this will be done at great cost to the reformers. Congress has the final say on the military budget, and much more. This is why reforms are often proposed, but rarely carried out. This time will be no different, and quite likely even more difficult because of the war on terror and all the politicians grandstanding over how that war is being run.
Kudos to Rummy, if that is where the honors are due.
We all knew this was the real reason behind the Get Rummy movement. To congress, the military men and women come dead last.
…reforms threaten defense spending in many Congressional districts, and if that money goes away, it could mean lost elections for the incumbents.…speed up the procurement (which can now take well over a decade) process and make be more responsive to what the troops actually need.
Building equipment the military does not need or want, interfering in promotions and training, or even specifying how the troops should be trained, have all become a standard part of the military landscape.
No one has come up with a better one yet that I am aware of.
Pretty much sums it up
This discussion is like complaining about the way the sausage is made that we ate for breakfast. Its a messy business. A couple of greasy points to add. The current procurement system was so slow to adapt and respond that it would have lost WWII had it been active then. Second, hold your nose, but it was Congressional pressure that put a blow torch to the Pentagon's ass. If it hadn't the body armor and armored humvee issue would have been swept under the rug or drug on for another year. Third, civilians can be blamed as well as the fossilized DoD process. Congress is bad, but in this "war" it gave unprecedented carte blanche to the civilian administrators at DoD. As a result spending, or lack thereof, was manipulated around the Nov. election. It was only when the process became untenable that a supplemental was both requested and immediately granted before this presidential election. The cost of this war is being swept under the rug. Additionally, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz couldn't sell bread to their own family much less get another unearmarked appropriation from Congress. It will be specific or nothing. Blame Kennedy was you might, it is a Republican Congress that has had enough smoke blown up at it from Rummy and Wolfy. Bush may want them, but Congress is fed up with them. Fifth, maintenance for vehicles and so on have got to be stepped up as will new equipment procurements regardless of the political party in power. So we're going to eat the Jimmy Dean's sausage one more time and smile. Real reform in procurement hasn't even begun.
Great article thanks for the ping...All too true. And not just for Defense...the same is true throughout the government . This is why our tax dollars are spent so willy nilly. Layer upon layer of useless paper pushers
Back away from the meat grinder, then.
"Congressional interference is largely driven by purely political issues (like getting elected, or looking good in the media.)"
If you think little things like obsolete electrical components are the real issue, just wait until the BRAC process gets fired up. This BRAC will be bloody.
I live near Robins AFB. Middle Georgia is terrified of BRAC.
These are excellent concepts, and for Rummy, presumably represent HIS understanding following a lifetime of reflection on the military after his first term as SecDef in the Ford Administration.
But something happened, and Rummy had to take the Pentagon to war.
This gave Rummy's enemies in the civilian and military bureaucracies a new lease on life.
Rummy has, in my opinion, allowed his battles with Pentagon enemies to obscure his vision of the war. This is of course in part due to Bush's inexplicable unwillingness to expand the armed forces to a size and robustness necessary to fight a world war.
Rummy should have given up all of his visions of transformation on September 12, 2001, and put the Army of now to war, instead of the Army of the future.
Just wait until the commission gets into full swing, you'll see panic like nothing in the past. You'll even see some rather funny things too.
I was at an installation that was on the BRAC list in '96. It was an interesting experience. (I had only been there a short time and had no emotional ties to that installation.)
Starting about six months from the commission visit, the installation started holding post wide, all-hands, meetings. The local governments hired a number of consultants to help the installation thru the process. I was one of the in-crowd dealing directly with the commission so I'm sure there were somethings I wasn't privy.
Lots of money was spent on making the post look nice. We were encouraged to plant flowers. We were encouraged to line the routes used by the commission and wave little flags. (The consultants were convinced that "installation spirit" and enthusiasm for the installation were critical items.)
I really thought the place should have been closed, but it wasn't.
As to BRAC, what a mess. Nothing will happen until after the election. BRAC played a role in delaying vehicular armor, from what I can figure this year. The military armories were put on 3 shifts to justify their existence while civilian contractors were barely tapped on some items. The result was full employment of facilities in some areas targeted for closure, but delays in getting equipment to the field. Our industrial might wasn't engaged and for the most part still isn't. To me this is very worrisome. Because we've chosen to fight a war on terrorism with one hand tied behind our back, we can't assume that those who hate us will be so generous. I think this is going to be a long hot summer as al-Qaeda's leadership is preparing for an encore presentation.
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