End monopolies in defense contracts

Having one contractor to meet all your needs has a certain appeal.  Generally the implied appeal is “to avoid waste.” But is it possible that a second contractor, competing with the first, creates an incentive for both to avoid waste? The problem with sole-sourcing almost anything is that it kills competition.  Without competition, cost concerns…aren’t [...]

F-35 Costs: The Sky Is The Limit?

There are way too many zeros being tossed about… From the 10 July 2009 Washington Post regarding the F-22 cancellation: After deciding to cancel the program, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates called the $65 billion fleet a “niche silver-bullet solution” to a major aerial war threat that remains distant. 187 F-22s for $65 billion.  Cost [...]

DoD Buzz: Obama Loses House F136 Vote

Of course the loss wasn’t the President’s, it was Secretary Gates’. The F136 is the General Electric/Rolls Royce engine for the F-35; the F135 is the Pratt & Whitney engine. I don’t understand the heartburn: I thought we were supposed to have competition in our acquisition programs. The numbers on the F136 vote were almost identical [...]

F-35 Fighter Two Years Behind Schedule: Pentagon Panel

The Joint Estimate Team (JET), which is described as “probably more reliable than the (Joint Strike Fighter) program office” has offered findings that say the F-35 is two years behind schedule. If true, this delay could add as much as $7.4 billion in costs to the Joint Strike Fighter program. On the other hand, according [...]