Is the Air Force heading back to paralysis by analysis in weapons choice?
Here’s Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall quoted in a recent Space News article, speaking about problems in current acquisition: “Overall, we start more […]
centralization
The false efficiency of systems analysis
The revolutionary manner in which McNamara made his decisions… transformed the “expert” career bureaucrat into the “novice” and the “inexperienced” political appointee into the “professional.” […]
The Pentagon’s first comptroller was against merging the armed forces
In 1972, Jerry Hess interviews Wilfred McNeil, the Department of Defense’s Comptroller for the first five Secretaries of Defense: HESS: What were your views on […]
Defense is too big, complex, dispersed to be managed from a single point
It has been suggested in some quarters that I am unwilling to decentralize decision-making authority. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I strongly believe […]
Staffs set up a hierarchy within a hierarchy, creating built-in resistance from line officers
… there seems to be an inherent conflict between line and staff activities. In the first place, their functions largely overlap. The only way “doing” […]
Rigidity is a consequence of central planning
With centralization, one set of views plays a greater role in decision-making, and dissenting views play lesser roles. In other words, there are fewer checks […]
Is there really $125 billion in Pentagon Waste?
Imagine you’re the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and in walks a group of consultants who tell you that you can save $125 billion over five years if you act on their recommendations. You flip through their PowerPoint brief stacked with charts and buzz words like optimize, modernize, and agile enterprise.
Space Force: what’s the organizational design?
The Space Development Agency, which would be a joint procurement arm in charge of setting standards and avoiding the duplication on space technology, appears to […]