[Cannoneer No. 4]

Teddy Kennedy, Monty Meehan, Corrine Brown, and a host of other 'rat congress critters think it is just terrible that each soldier does not have an armored vehicle to ride in.

[CasearianDaoist]

This is so true. I think it is also part of the problem that the President's new NASA initiative is having on the Hill. They want to apply some of these new methods hear too. If you think the noise is load now wait until they ask the big contractors to put in some of their own moneies in competitive Science and Technolgy "bake offs." This is happening mpore and more in the large corprate world as well.

Kudos to Rummy, if that is where the honors are due.

[McGavin999]

We all knew this was the real reason behind the Get Rummy movement. To congress, the military men and women come dead last.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Their plan is working.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

It's a tragedy!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The acquisition system is impersonal and impervious to the urgent needs of soldiers in the field. While it is frequently the target of Congressional attack, in many ways it is also the perfect creation of the Congress. The system has been built to be responsive to the priorities of politicians, not the priorities of soldiers.

The blowhards on the Hill will try to make political hay out of this, but a big reason that the bureaucrats have screwed this up is that the Congress wrote the acquisition laws so that they could meddle in the process to ensure that their constituents get a cut of the action. The system is set up so that acquisition guys can't make quick, common sense decisions.

[Conservative Infidel]

How could this possibly be? I thought that Algore completely streamlined the procurement process when he "re-invented" government!

[R. Scott]

Which of these is the most important?

…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.

If you are a career politician, the first statement reflects the important realities of life. If you are the soldier, sailor, Marine or airman, the second one is all important.

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.

Unfortunately this will continue. Our military is subservient to civilian (political) command. Politicians will forever put their own well being above the well being of their military servants. It has been that way for thousands of years and will continue to be that way for thousands more.

[jnarcus]

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

[DugwayDuke]

"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.

[Jim Noble]

Rumsfeld came to office in January 2001 committed to military reform, including force transformation, manangement reform and reform of procurement.

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.