- US Government Accountability Office has published recommendations for the Ministry of Defense
- These are intended for computer systems and include cybersecurity deficits
- Some programs have exceeded and took months more than expected
The United States Ministry of Defense is expected to spend $ 10.9 billion to maintain IT business programs from 2023 to 2025 – but all these programs do not reach the required performance levels, a new US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
The ministry’s recommendations include the Defense Secretary’s request to ask the information director to “ensure that IT business programs identify and report the results of the results on the minimum number of performance measures in each category, as the case may be, as part of the ministry’s submission to the federal computer dashboard”.
These programs are critical defense systems and 4 have been identified without “plans developed to implement a more rigorous cybersecurity approach – zero confidence architecture – on the deadline of 2027”. 2 other programs had no strategies in place to reduce cybersecurity threats.
Recommendations in the future
Of the 24 computer commercial programs, 14 have declared cost and / or calendar changes since January 2023, which includes 12 programs which declare an increase in costs. Between $ 6.1 million and $ 815.5 million (and a median of $ 173.5 million) – and 7 of the programs declare a calendar period between 3 months and 48 months (15 months median).
The GAO reminded DOD that it was “essential to the success of the main commercial functions of the DOD”. And that “not to identify and report data from the results on performance measures in each category makes it more difficult to determine whether these programs achieve their planned objectives”, confirms the summary of the report.
It comes shortly after the news that the US government praised that it cuts as a key element in DOD savings of a billion dollars, with terminated contracts, mainly for “advice and other non -essential services”.
The affected companies included Deloitte, Booz Allen and Accenture, with layoffs specifically targeting the “$ 1.8 billion in consultation contracts that the Defense Health Agency allocated to various private companies, a 1.4 billion dollars company computer service contract and a business consultation contract of $ 500 million.”
Via The register
