SOCOM’s Acquisition Programs Are Consistent with the Command’s Mission

SOCOM has undertaken a diverse set of acquisition programs since  January 2001 that are consistent with the command’s mission to address  unique SOF needs and those needs for which there are no service-common  requirement. SOCOM has committed about $6 billion to date on these  programs. The vast majority of SOCOM’s acquisition programs are ACAT  III level in size, have short acquisition cycles, and use modified  commercial off-the-shelf and nondevelopmental items or modify existing  service equipment and assets. Several key examples of the types of programs SOCOM has undertaken  are described below. SOCOM’s acquisition plan for the future—as reflected in its current Future  Year Defense Program—continues to maintain a focus on providing   SOF-peculiar equipment. SOCOM’S Acquisition Program Performance Has Been Mixed

Fifty-one (about 60 percent) of the 86 acquisition programs SOCOM has  undertaken since 2001 have progressed as planned, either staying within  original cost and schedule estimates or experiencing cost increases  unrelated to progress, such as for adding quantities to support ongoing  combat operations . The other 35 (40 percent) of SOCOM’s 86 programs  have experienced or are likely to experience modest to, in a number of  cases, significant cost increases and schedule delays due to a range of  technical, programmatic, or funding issues. Although fewer in number,  these programs make up about 50 percent of SOCOM’s total funding for its  acquisition programs. The programs that have not progressed  as planned tend to be the larger, more complex platform-based programs  SOCOM is developing and programs where SOCOM is dependent on the  military departments for the basic platform or for equipment and/or other  resources, such as program management support. SOCOM Faces Management and Workforce Challenges in Its Acquisition Programs

SOCOM faces management and workforce challenges in ensuring its  acquisition programs are completed on time and within budget. Urgent  requirements arising from SOCOM’s role in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its  new role in the GWOT have and will continue to challenge SOCOM’s  ability to balance near- and long-term needs against available funding  resources. SOCOM also has  difficulty tracking progress on programs for which it has delegated  management authority to the military departments and addressing  problems earlier in these programs. SOCOM employs elements of a knowledge-based acquisition approach, but  it is not consistently applied. In addition, some of the  acquisition positions at SOCOM require unique special operations  experience. To assess and determine the management and workforce challenges facing  SOCOM, we (1) reviewed and analyzed the current impact that unfunded  near-term requirements had on the regular approved acquisition programs;  (2) we reviewed and analyzed the command’s key acquisition program  management tool—the Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics  Information System—for managing its acquisition programs; and (3) to  assess the workforce challenges that SOCOM faces, we interviewed key  SOCOM acquisition officials from SOCOM’s Special Operations  Acquisition and Logistics Center and key civilian and military personnel  management officials at Tampa, Florida.
Why GAO Did This Study

Special Operations Command's (SOCOM) duties have greatly increased since the attacks of September 11, 2001. Today, Special Operations Forces are at work in Afghanistan and Iraq, and SOCOM has been assigned to lead U.S. efforts in the Global War on Terrorism. SOCOM's acquisitions budget has also greatly increased in this period--more than doubling from $788 million in 2001 to approximately $1.91 billion in 2006. In light of SOCOM's expanded duties, Congress requested that GAO review SOCOM's management of its acquisition programs. GAO's evaluation includes an assessment of: the types of acquisition programs SOCOM has undertaken since 2001 and whether the programs are consistent with its mission; the extent to which SOCOM's programs have progressed as planned; and the challenges SOCOM faces in managing its acquisition programs.

What GAO Found

SOCOM has undertaken a diverse set of acquisition programs that are consistent with the command's mission to provide equipment that addresses the unique needs of the Special Operations Forces. SOCOM has committed to spend about $6 billion on these programs. About 88 percent of the programs are relatively small, have short acquisition cycles, and use modified commercial off-the-shelf and nondevelopmental items or modify existing service equipment and assets. SOCOM's acquisition plans--as reflected in its current 5-year plan--continue to focus on relatively small-scale, short-cycle programs with modest development efforts. Overall, SOCOM's acquisition program performance has been mixed. About 60 percent of the acquisition programs SOCOM has undertaken since 2001 have progressed as planned, staying within the original cost and schedule estimates. Included in this grouping are programs that had cost increases because of the need to buy additional quantities of equipment for ongoing combat operations. The other 40 percent of SOCOM's acquisition programs have not progressed as planned and experienced modest to, in a small number of cases, significant cost increases and schedule delays because of a range of technical and programmatic issues. Although fewer in number, the programs that experienced problems comprise about 50 percent of acquisition funding because they tend to be the larger and costlier, platform-based programs that SOCOM is acquiring and those where SOCOM depends on one of the military departments for equipment and program management support. SOCOM faces management and workforce challenges to ensure its acquisition programs are consistently completed on time and within budget. Urgent requirements to support SOCOM's ongoing combat missions have and will continue to challenge SOCOM's ability to balance near- and long- term needs against available funding resources. In addition, SOCOM has difficulty tracking progress on programs where it has delegated management authority to one of the military departments and has not consistently applied a knowledge-based acquisition approach in executing programs, particularly the larger and more complex programs. Furthermore, SOCOM has encountered challenges ensuring it has the workforce size and composition to carry out its acquisition work.