GAO recommends DoD prioritize joint capability needs

John Pendleton, the director of defense capabilities and management issues at GAO, joined In Depth with Francis Rose to discuss a recent report assessing DoD jo...

Figuring out what the Defense Department actually needs to buy — across its many component parts — is the first step to a good procurement.

That’s the lesson of a recent Government Accountability Office report examining the Pentagon’s process for determining joint requirements.

John Pendleton, the director of defense capabilities and management issues at GAO, joined In Depth with Francis Rose to discuss the report.

Pendleton discussed the role of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council vs. the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System.

JROC, which is chaired by the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is akin to a requirements board for the Pentagon, Pendleton said. “The idea is to help provide advice about joint requirements,” he added.

The JCIDS, created in 2003, is one of the ways that they do that, he added, by serving as a “forum where ideas get vetted from a joint perspective.”

However, GAO and some lawmakers were concerned with JCIDS effectiveness in “prioritizing capability needs,” according to the report. GAO recommended that the Joint Chief vice chairman revise and implement new guidance.

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