Recent Large Service Acquisitions in the Department of Defense : Lessons for the Office of the Secretary of Defense

Findings of a study on policy issues relevant to large service acquisitions. Six case studies representing a range of new approaches are used to identify policy issues in which OSD is likely to become involved. In all cases, program management is increasingly important, day-to-day management is delegated to contractors, and alternatives to arms-length relationships are used. OSD should focus on linking services acquisition goals to strategic goals, managing congressional concerns about services acquisition, and developing and disseminating lessons learned.