Report of the Defense Science Board 1996 Summer Study on Achieving an InnovativeSupport Structure for 21st Century Military Superiority. Higher Performance at Lower Costs

摘要

This is the final report of the 1996 Defense Science Board Summer Study TaskForce on Achieving an Innovative Support Structure for 21 Century Military Superiority. This report identifies significant risks regarding the viability of DoD weapons system investment plans for the coming six years. The Task Force is greatly concerned that resources will not be available for needed investments in modernization, due to the high costs of support, and the associated infrastructure, at a time when budgets are, at best, not increasing. Historical trends show proportionately increasing support costs coupled with poor support responsiveness. This Task Force's vision is similar to that presented in the support and business sections of the FY95 DSB Summer Study, the report of the Commission on Roles and Missions, and the FY96 DSB Task Force on Privatization and Outsourcing. The vision calls for DoD personnel to prepare for and conduct combat and crisis management operations while relying on a robust, competitive private sector to provide commercial style support. This approach ensures that each community leverages its core competencies. The Task Force recommends two fundamental changes for the DoD: dramatically restructure DoD support, utilizing modem information technology and management principles, and maximizing the use of