Analysis Requirements to Support the New Acquisition System in the Department of Defense

Today, the Department of Defense (DOD) is faced with many changes that will directly affect acquisition of new systems for years to come. Since the demise of the Soviet Union, the United States is no longer required to field new systems every six to eight years in order to counter Soviet modernization. This major change in world order has generated a new DOD acquisition philosophy which in turn prompted many changes in the DOD acquisition system. This article focuses on recent changes to the acquisition system and the combat effectiveness analysis required to identify and acquire future Army material needs. First, the effect of the new world order on the acquisition system includes changes in the threat, future defense budgets, the industrial base, and science and technology thrusts. Second, these underlying drivers of future defense needs have generated changes to the Acquisition Process as defined in the DOD Directive 5000 series. They have also changed the perspectives of key DOD and Army acquisition decision makers. Finally, all of these changes will require different combat effectiveness analysis than we have done in the past.