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Ballistic Missile Defense: Improvements Needed in Navy Area Acquisition Planning

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Nov. 14, 1997
Report No. NSIAD-98-34
Subject
Summary:

The Navy Area Theater Ballistic Missile Defense program has experienced schedule slippages totaling about 14 months due to several factors, including technical problems in the two flight tests conducted prior to the engineering and manufacturing development phase. Further schedule slippages are possible because of the acquisition plan's highly optimistic schedule for conducting operational tests. The Navy plans to begin missile production before conducting any operational tests of the system. The Navy contends that low-rate initial production of the missiles must begin in June 2000--five months before system-level developmental and operational tests are scheduled to begin--because it urgently needs the system and it needs to maintain an efficient flow in missile production. GAO questions the Navy's rationale for the criticality of initiating low-rate initial production.

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