SBIRS-low Program Employs a High-Risk Acquisition Strategy

The Air Force’s current SBIRS-low acquisition schedule is at high risk of  not delivering the system on time or at cost or with expected performance. SBIRS-low Program Includes Immature Critical Technologies

The SBIRS-low program has high technical risks because some critical  satellite technologies have been judged to be immature for the current  stage of the program. Alternative Approaches to SBIRS-low Have Not Been Assessed

Current DOD acquisition policy and procedures require that assessments  be made of the cost and mission effectiveness of space systems to  alternative terrestrial—land, sea, and air—systems. Despite this  requirement, DOD has not adequately analyzed or identified cost-effective  alternatives to SBIRS-low that could satisfy critical missile defense  requirements such as a Navy ship-based radar capability. According to Air  Force Space Command officials, terrestrial alternatives to SBIRS-low do  not exist. Studies on various aspects of the National Missile Defense System by the  Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and other organizations have  pointed out that alternatives to SBIRS-low may exist. Scope and Methodology

To evaluate risks of the current acquisition schedule, we had discussions  with officials of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,  Technology, and Logistics; the Under Secretary of Defense for the  Comptroller; the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control,  Communications, and Intelligence; the Office of the Director, Operational  Test and Evaluation; the Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation; and  the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, all in Washington,  D.C. We also held discussions with, and reviewed documents from, officials  of the SBIRS program office in Los Angeles, California; the U.S. and Air  Force Space Commands, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the Defense  Contract Management Agency offices in Van Nuys, California, and Phoenix,  Arizona; the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Buckley Air  National Guard Base, Aurora, Colorado; TRW, Inc., Redondo Beach,  California; and Spectrum Astro, Gilbert, Arizona. GAO Comments

1. 2. 3.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Pentagon considers defenses to counter attacks from ballistic missiles, both long-range strategic and shorter-range theater missiles, to be critical to U.S. national security. The Air Force is developing a new satellite system, called Space-Based Infrared System-low (SBIRS-low) to expand the military's infrared satellite capabilities for supporting ballistic missile defenses. GAO reviewed the Defense Department's (DOD) efforts to acquire SBIRS-low. Specifically, GAO (1) evaluated the cost, schedule, and performance risks of the current acquisition schedule; (2) evaluated the program's technical risks; and (3) determined whether DOD has assessed alternative approaches to SBIRS-low.

What GAO Found

GAO found that the Air Force's current SBIRS-low acquisition schedule is of high risk of not delivering the system on time or at cost or with expected performance. SBIRS-low has high technical risks because some critical satellite technologies have been judged immature for the current stage of the program. DOD acquisition policy and procedures require that the cost and mission effectiveness of space systems be assessed relative to alternative terrestrial systems. However, the Air Force has not analyzed or identified terrestrial alternatives to the SBIRS-low system because, according to Air Force Space Command officials, terrestrial alternatives do not exist. Nevertheless, studies on various aspects of the National Missile Defense system by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and other groups have pointed out alternatives to SBIRS-low, such as sea- or land-based radar.