No JFCOM LAA Projects Approved since Prior GAO Report

Very little has changed with regard to usage of JFCOM’s LAA since our  November 2005 report was issued. Since LAA’s  enactment over 3 years ago, JFCOM has received 12 LAA proposals and  approved 6. A sixth project is ongoing with additional development remaining. The  total funding obtained for the six projects has increased from $9 million in  research, development, test, and evaluation funds in 2005 to $14 million  through January 2007. No procurement funds had been used as of January  2007, although the ongoing speech translation project has identified a need  for procurement funding. In response to a GAO questionnaire directed at recipients of JFCOM LAA  capabilities, warfighters generally provided positive feedback about the  process that JFCOM developed and implemented for LAA projects. DOD and JFCOM Face Several Challenges with LAA

DOD and JFCOM face several challenges in continuing to implement  LAA—one challenge goes to the role of LAA and the other challenges deal  with how LAA is managed and operated. The two processes cover similar ground, and given that the JRAC process  is expected to be expanded soon, they could overlap even more. Exemplifying the need for coordination, we analyzed the six approved  LAA projects and concluded that JRAC might have also been able to  accomplish most, if not all, of them. JFCOM Experiences Complications with Funding, Delegation, and Analysis of Projects’ Usefulness

			Finding Funding for LAA Projects Continues to Be Challenging

Finding funding to develop, acquire, and sustain LAA projects was  identified as a challenge in our prior report and remains so. Because LAA  is an authority, not a program, LAA does not have budgeted funds. JFCOM officials have to either find other DOD organizations to pay for  LAA projects or pay for them with funds budgeted for other JFCOM work. Failure to clarify these issues may impair JFCOM’s ability to  carry out LAA efforts. Further complicating this  joint rapid acquisition picture are the differing views on what LAA powers  were delegated to JFCOM. Recommendations for Executive Action

As DOD considers expanding JRAC’s coverage, we recommend that the  Secretary of Defense take the following three actions:  reassess the role of the JFCOM LAA in light of the expanding JRAC  process, and determine whether and how JFCOM LAA should play a  role in meeting joint urgent needs;  to the extent JFCOM LAA is to continue to play a role in meeting  joint urgent needs, assess and resolve, as appropriate, the funding,  coordination, and delegation challenges identified in this report; and  inform Congress of the results of the assessment and any resultant  decisions in time for Congress to consider them in its deliberations  on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

To provide an update on the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) limited  acquisition authority (LAA) efforts since LAA was enacted, we obtained  and analyzed information and documentation, and interviewed officials  from a variety of organizations. To identify key challenges in operating and managing LAA, we obtained  and analyzed information and documentation, and interviewed officials,  from JFCOM; and Office of the Secretary of Defense—General Counsel,  Comptroller, Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and  Logistics)/Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy, Under Secretary  of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics)/Joint Rapid  Acquisition Cell (JRAC), Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition,  Technology, and Logistics)/Director, Defense Research and Engineering,  and the Joint Staff/J-8, Capabilities and Acquisition Division, which are  located in Arlington, Virginia. We also determined if JRAC might have been able to process  the six approved LAA projects if the JRAC process had existed at the time  the projects were approved by JFCOM. Appendix II: Comments from the Department Of Defense
Why GAO Did This Study

Over 3 years ago, Congress granted limited acquisition authority (LAA)--subject to delegation by the Secretary of Defense--to U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) for a 3-year period to expedite development and acquisition of certain warfighter equipment. Congress directed GAO to report on JFCOM LAA implementation. GAO's report, issued in November 2005, said JFCOM finished five LAA projects and was working on a sixth project, and that JFCOM had experienced difficulty finding funding to develop, acquire, and sustain LAA projects. Last year, Congress extended LAA through September 2008 and again directed GAO to report on LAA. This report updates the status of JFCOM LAA efforts since the authority was enacted and key LAA challenges.

What GAO Found

JFCOM has not approved any LAA projects since GAO's November 2005 report, and the LAA project that was incomplete as of then remains so. The projects generally fall under the category of battle management command, control, communications, and intelligence. Research funding provided for the six LAA projects has risen from $9 million in 2005 to $14 million as of January 2007. No procurement funds had been used for these projects as of then. Feedback from the projects' recipients--the warfighter--has been mostly positive about the LAA acquisition process and capabilities delivered. The Department of Defense (DOD) and JFCOM face several LAA challenges, one of which goes to the role of LAA. Shortly after LAA's enactment, the Deputy Secretary of Defense created the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell (JRAC) to provide timely solutions for joint urgent warfighter needs. GAO analysis indicates that JRAC and JFCOM LAA cover similar ground and could overlap even more if JRAC is allowed to address needs other than for ongoing named operations. JRAC might have also been able to carry out most, if not all, of the six LAA projects had it existed when they were approved by JFCOM. Other challenges relate to how LAA is managed and operated. JFCOM officials said funding remains an issue because LAA is an authority without budgeted funds. JFCOM LAA staff tries to find funding for approved projects from other DOD organizations. When funding could not be found, JFCOM funded most of the six LAA projects with funds budgeted for other JFCOM work. The search for funding lengthens the time to get capabilities to the warfighter. JRAC does not have budgeted funds either, but has greater access to funding than JFCOM. Another challenge involves uncertainty between JFCOM and the Office of the Secretary of Defense regarding what LAA powers were delegated to JFCOM. Until the uncertainty is resolved, how JFCOM should carry out LAA efforts will remain unclear.