Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

One of the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD[A&S]) is to ensure the health of the overall defense acquisition system (DAS). USD(A&S) can bolster the health of the DAS by developing and promulgating sound acquisition policy that improves the function and operation of the DAS at the enterprise level. The premise of this report is that acquisition policymaking should be data driven. However, there are limitations to relying on empirical (e.g., historical) data to guide acquisition policy. In light of these limitations, the authors argue that acquisition policymaking should be evidence based, in recognition of a wider variety of analytic tools that can be brought to bear on acquisition policy questions. This report, intended for acquisition professionals, summarizes the case for a broader evidence base and then focuses on one specific tool that the authors suggest might add analytic value: policy gaming. Policy gaming can be used to generate observations about how stakeholders might change their decisionmaking and behavior in light of changes in policy. Because the strengths and limitations of games differ from those of traditional tools for acquisition analysis, the authors argue that games complement the existing portfolio of analytic approaches. The authors describe a prototype game focused on Middle-Tier Acquisition (MTA) policy that RAND researchers developed to enrich the available evidence base to support acquisition policymaking, summarize insights from the game, and offer several next steps for USD(A&S) to consider.

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Acquisition program data help drive effective and efficient policy formulation, decisionmaking, and program execution across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Despite recent statutory changes to organizational structures, as well as to roles, responsibilities, and authorities (RRAs) of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and military departments, OSD still needs key program data to inform policymaking and enable analysis critical for understanding acquisition processes and performance. For example, program data are still needed to conduct portfolio analyses and understand the performance of individual acquisition pathways and the overall acquisition system in order to improve acquisition policy design and outcomes. The authors outline issues and opportunities in data requirements, governance, and management to strive for more efficient, effective, and informed acquisition while reducing burden and ad hoc data requests. They address general data governance and management challenges, as well as specific challenges associated with the Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) for rapid prototyping and rapid fielding, the Selected Acquisition Report (SAR), and the Defense Acquisition Executive Summary (DAES) process and data. A rich set of information currently supports the acquisition community. While there is no agreement on all data needs and definitions, the underlying data used for program management, oversight/insight, decisionmaking, and analysis are similar across DoD.

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

In the constrained budget environment of recent years, the Department of Defense (DoD) has placed increasing emphasis on enhancing installation and infrastructure management capabilities. Energy management is an important component of infrastructure management. DoD has a facility energy conservation goal of reducing consumption by 30 percent by the year 2005 (measured on a square foot basis from a 1985 baseline). At the same time, DoD is attempting to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, many of which have implications for energy management choices. However, shrinking defense budgets, downsizing and restructuring, and various management reforms are shifting emphasis away from energy management at DoD installations. This report documents RAND research assessing DoD's current capability to achieve energy policy goals at DoD installations. The authors identify what capability currently exists at DoD installations for implementing energy policy effectively and identify ways to enhance that capability through improved training and policy implementation.

Military bases --- Energy conservation --- Energy consumption --- Management. --- United States.

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Public and private organizations are increasingly aware of the potential value of data and analytics to improving organizational performance and outcomes. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is one of those organizations. Its size, complexity, security needs, and culture have created a challenging environment for successful use of data in decisionmaking. DoD's acquisition data lay an important part of the foundation for decisions about weapon systems. Because the private sector faces similar data challenges, the authors examined commercial data practices that might translate to the DoD acquisition community in the areas of data governance and analytics. Benchmarking select private-sector data governance and analytics practices helps establish a baseline against which DoD practices can be compared. That comparison can be used to identify areas in which DoD could improve and suggests actions or approaches to make those improvements. The authors determined that functions associated with the office of a chief data officer and associated data governance and data management are foundational requirements to pursue an analytics strategy in any organization.

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This study helps to determine why Navy military specifications and standards reform (MSSR) was not completed within budget or in accordance with a self-imposed schedule. The report defines the status of navy reforms, and looks for reasons why the Navy missed its self-imposed reform completion date.

United States. --- Procurement --- Specifications.