Over the past decade, the U.S. Army has spent over $20 billion each year to develop and acquire weapon systems, but it canceled many of those due to the realization that requirements would not be met — and a government watchdog report indicates this problem is likely to continue if the Army does not address its workforce shortfall.
“Until the Army comprehensively assesses the needs of its requirements development workforce”to include research analysts, systems engineers, and others”it will continue to lack the necessary foundation for viable major acquisition programs,” states the GAO report.
The requirements development workforce has decreased by 22 percent since 2008, with some requirements development centers reporting more significant reductions.
The Army’s workforce decline is due to both the 22 percent decrease in the Army’s development budget since 2011, and Army-wide funding reductions, according to the report. Overall requirements development within the Army Capabilities Integration Center, which has the lead within TRADOC, have been reduced 26 percent since 2010.
Further complicating things for the Army, the Capabilities Integration Center itself projects a 19 percent funding shortfall in the near term.
Requirements developers interviewed at three of the four selected Army Centers of Excellence (Aviation, Cyber, Maneuver, and Fires) told the GAO that they did not have sufficient resources to develop requirements and associated documentation.
“At one Center”which generates requirements for an estimated 450 programs”officials stated they are constrained to the point that they can no longer effectively do their job as responsibilities continue to grow and resources diminish. Specifically, they were operating with approximately 50 percent of the staff needed for requirements development and were expecting a further 25 percent budget reduction in fiscal year 2018,” says the report.
At another center, officials reported a 65 percent cut in their workforce over the past several years, and at a third Center officials said requirements development are now down to less than 10 percent of previous staffing levels. A fourth Center reported that their analytical capability has been maintained despite a 25 percent overall workforce reduction.
The GAO report identifies what actions the Army has taken to improve its requirements development process since 2011, evaluates the extent to which Army requirements are well-informed and feasible, and provides information on the current status of nine major defense programs.
Since executing weapon system development is critical to accomplishing the Army’s mission, the report offers the sobering conclusion that the Army must take a “comprehensive assessment of its requirements development workforce” including systems engineers, systems analysts, and others.” If the Army does not address its staffing issues, it is endangering its effectiveness, warns the report.
