The U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General has recommended that the U.S. Navy delay the production phase of its MQ-25 Stingray drone program until relevant tests are completed or the program’s risk management documentation is updated.
Suggestions were made after a DOD OIG audit that found that the Navy had planned to finalize production decisions before the completion of tests and evaluations necessary to ensure that the program meets operational capability requirements, the office said on Monday.
“The audit underscores the risks associated with premature decision-making and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing to ensure the MQ-25 program meets operational capability requirements, avoids deployment delays and manages costs effectively,” said DOD IG Robert Storch.
“The MQ-25 program’s risk documentation, including the risks contained in the acquisition strategy, did not identify, assess or develop mitigation plans for significant risks associated with the Navy’s scheduling decisions,” he added.
The DOD OIG also called on the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition to ensure that the program’s risk documentation is updated to account for risks of additional delays in receiving the MQ-25A aerial refueling drone, according to the audit report.
The office recommends that these steps be made prior to the Milestone C decision, which determines if the program will move to the production and deployment phase, and the initial operating capability decisions.
