Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has highlighted two provisions in the defense authorization bill that aim to reform the Defense Department‘s acquisition practices, the National Journal reported Wednesday.
Fawn Johnson writes that McCain has called for the assignment of a specific point person to sign off on each new contract and the placement of fines for cost overruns.
The centralized structure of the military’s acquisition system may contribute to overruns due to requirements added by officials who have no direct use or knowledge of the weapon or service, the report said.
“What the Pentagon has turned into is the absolute quintessence of ‘Everybody’s responsible, so therefore nobody is responsible,'” McCain said in an interview, according to the report.
Johnson writes that the senator also indicated the provisions will foster direct accountability for acquisition programs and costs as well as curb wasteful spending.
