There is waste on both sides. I happen to think most government contractors do, or try to do a good job. I think congress has a buy list that has nothing to do with what is needed and more to do with making sure their constituents get a piece of the pie
I don’t know how to fix this, I hope Donald Trump does. The one thing I think needs to be done away with is Davis Bacon.
My late father was an aeronautical engineer who worked on a variety of important programs across several different major defense contractors in his career. He said while contractor waste is a problem, a large proportion of cost issues had to do with bad contracting management by the US govt, numerous changes in specs over time, design by committee, etc.
Procurement reform is a must, and I expect PEOTUS Donald J. Trump will find the right person to head up that process. Or General Mattis perhaps is already the right person (as head of DoD) who will know who to put in charge of R&D, procurement, etc. because he will know so well what does and does not contribute to the proper support of the fighting Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen.