How We Provide for the Common Defense: A Review of the Interactive Decision-Making Process of the V-22 Osprey Program from 1981 Through 1992

摘要

The Constitution of the United States was designed to serve the interests of all people the rich and poor, people who are Northerners and Southerners, farmers, factory workers, people in the business world. The Constitutional Convention believed strongly in the rule of the majority, but they wanted to protect minorities against any unjustness by the majority. The framers achieved this goal by separating and balancing the powers of government while including other basic constitutional aims of respect for the rights of individuals and states, rule of the government by the people, the separation of church and state, and supremacy of the national government. By separating and balancing the powers of the leadership of the United States, a system of governance has evolved that allows the inputs, opinions, voices and influence of interest groups that combine to form external influences which exert pressure on the decision making processes and people of the government. The V- 22 Osprey tilt-rotor assault troop transport aircraft is an example of how the widespread influences of a multi-faceted bureaucracy interact in the Department of Defense (DoD) procurement process. The V-22 program is an illustration of the inter and intragovernmental practices that involved organizations, cultures, individuals and personalities. The decision-making process on whether or not to procure the V-22 involved a dedicated and passionate Military service, the Marine Corps, coupled with the Congress and influential, lobbying savvy, Defense Contractors, all pitted against a Secretary of Defense who was faced with tightening Defense budgets in the late 1980's. This essay will dissect the development and procurement processes surrounding the V-22, with a focus on the agencies, organizations, individuals, and personalities involved in the process.