Program Related Publication Feeds

DIIG Current Issues No. 27: Internal R&D Productivity in Aerospace and Defense

gsanders — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In an environment of declining defense spending by what have traditionally been the largest customers on both sides of the Atlantic, aerospace and defense companies face difficult decisions on how to deploy their cash.

Structure and Dynamics of the U.S. Federal Services Industrial Base, 2000-2010

gsanders — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. government has a permanent and, until recently, growing reliance on contracts with the private sector for a wide range of services. For the past six years, the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group (DIIG) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has tracked the trends driving the services industry.

DIIG Current Issues No. 25: ASEAN Defense Industry Collaboration

gsanders — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In February 2011 the defense ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to promote five areas of security cooperation: maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations, counter terrorism, and military medicine.

Cost and Time Overruns for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (2011)

gsanders — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Cost and time overruns in Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) have become a high-profile problem attracting the interest of Congress, government and watchdog groups. According to the GAO, the 98 MDAPs from FY2010 collectively ran $402 billion over budget and were an average of 22 months behind schedule since their first full estimate.

Defense Industry Access to Capital Markets

gsanders — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Private companies rely on cash raised from capital markets to finance their operations, including expenditures on long-term assets (such as facilities and equipment), independent research and development (IRAD), and retirement of old debt. Capital markets play a role in shaping the depth and breadth of the U.S.

Cost and Time Overruns for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (2011)

rlivergood — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Cost and time overruns in Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) have become a high-profile problem attracting the interest of Congress, government and watchdog groups.

These are the summary data tables for MDAPs which will be presented at the May 2011 Naval Post Graduate School annual Acquisition Symposium.

DIIG Current Issues No. 24: India's Defense Spending and Military Modernization

gsanders — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Photo left: INDIA (Jan. 20, 2010) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates receives a tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison)

DIIG Current Issues No. 23: U.S. Military Aid and Sales to Egypt

gsanders — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The recent popular protests in Egypt, and the concurrent images of U.S.-made tanks and tear gas canisters, have brought scrutiny upon the historical and remarkably constant U.S. military assistance to Egypt.

Defense Contract Trends

ian — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A new edition of this publication became available on May 11, 2011.

Structure and Dynamics of the U.S. Federal Professional Services Industrial Base, 1995-2009

gsanders — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. government has a permanent and growing reliance on contracts with the private sector for a wide range of professional and support services. For the past five years, the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group has tracked the trends driving the professional services industry since 1995.

DIIG Current Issues No. 22: Rare Earth Elements

gsanders — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

On 23rd September 2010, exports of rare earth elements (REEs) from China to Japan apparently stopped due to a dispute over maritime boundaries. This use of economic leverage to influence policy raised concerns about the impact of China’s strategic hold on these precious metals.

Cost and Time Overruns for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (2010)

gsanders — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Cost and time overruns in Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) have become a high-profile problem attracting the interest of Congress, government and watchdog groups. According to the GAO, the 96 MDAPs from FY2008 collectively ran $296 billion over budget and were an average of 22 months behind schedule.

Implementation of the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009

gsanders — Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The primary challenge for today’s defense acquisition system is to execute acquisition programs without major schedule delays and cost overruns. Meeting that challenge has been the goal of acquisition reform improvements for decades. Today, all parties agree that the time is right for renewed efforts to improve the performance of the defense acquisition system.

European Defense Trends: Annotated Brief

gsanders — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

An in-depth understanding of the supply and demand sides of the European defense market and the regulatory framework that governs it is critical to assessing broader European defense policies and capabilities.

DIIG Current Issues No. 21: The Time Is Right for Export Control Reform

jhofbauer — Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Over the last year, a flurry of meetings, papers, announcements, and legislative initiatives has focused on an issue area that has bedeviled policy makers and industry officials alike for decades: how to reform the U.S. Government’s “byzantine amalgam of authorities, roles, and missions” relating to export controls.

National Security and the Commercial Space Sector

gsanders — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In this DRAFT report, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) examines the relationship between U.S. national security and the commercial space sector, with specific focus on the current state of the space launch industry and launch market. Building on a CSIS annotated briefing released in 2008, entitled Health of the U.S.

DIIG Current Issues No. 20: Integrating COTS: Lessons from Recent Ground Vehicle Acquisitions

gsanders — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Defense systems are rarely acquired rapidly.

Wall Street and the Pentagon: Analyzing Defense Finance

gsanders — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

After a decade of robust growth in defense spending that saw record high defense budgets during the past five years, the defense industry faces a new reality. While the absence of the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) in the National Defense Budget Estimates for FY2010 makes prediction difficult, likely changes in spending priorities have the potential to change the industry significantly.

DIIG Current Issues No. 19: Fixing the Shortfalls: Defense Budget Trends and Long Term Impact

jhofbauer — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Defense budgets run in cycles, with periods of increase followed by periods of decline. For years, defense analysts have been predicting that the defense budget is coming down, but it has been on an historic run for the past decade. The FY 2009 Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization Act was 65 percent higher than in FY 2001 in real dollars.

DIIG Current Issues No. 18: Addressing Concerns About US Foreign Policy Outsourcing

gsanders — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In the past weeks, the criticism about America’s foreign policy being outsourced to the private sector has resurfaced with a vengeance. This is an important issue to raise: not only do the Defense Department, State Department, and Agency for International Development (AID) represent US interests overseas, they also account for some 70 percent of all US government contracts.

DIIG Current Issues No. 16: Wrestling with Complexity in Defense Programs

jhofbauer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In recent years, defense programs are more ambitious than any previously attempted. They promise unprecedented capability through integrating groundbreaking technologies into network-centric systems-of-systems, such as the Army’s Future Combat System (FCS) and the Coast Guard’s Integrated Deepwater System (IDS).

DIIG Current Issues No. 15: Implications of European Defense Acquisition Reform

jhofbauer — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The European defense market is undergoing profound changes. Four distinct trends are altering the landscape of European defense acquisition, with some of them underscoring the shift of defense matters from national capitals towards the European Union (EU). First, participation in international operations is substantially affecting acquisition priorities.

DIIG Current Issues No. 14: Unmanned Aircraft Systems, 2010-2050

gsanders — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Given the value of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to provide Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and firepower without placing warfighters at undue risk, these systems are receiving much attention and growing increasingly sophisticated and versatile. The U.S.

DIIG Current Issues No. 13: Measuring the Defense Industrial Value of Acquisition Programs

jhofbauer — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The primary objective of defense acquisition is to provide the warfighter with adequate equipment in a timely and economical way. A cornerstone in this process is the availability of a reliable, cost-effective, and sufficient industrial base that can develop, produce, and provide the products and services required by the Department of Defense (DoD). Section 2440 of U.S.

Organizing for a Complex World: The Way Ahead

jhofbauer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Complex defense and network-centric systems have proven to be difficult to develop on time and on budget, a consequence of the complexity inherent in both the systems and the acquisition environment. These programs pose governance and management challenges, and it is difficult to know in advance the program-management model most suitable for a given program.

DIIG Current Issues No. 12: U.S. Competitiveness in the Fighter Aircraft Export Market

sherry — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

In his April 6, 2009 address, Sec. Gates discussed his vision for the F-22 “Raptor” and the F-35 “Lightning II”, two of the U.S. aerospace industry’s most prominent programs.

DIIG Current Issues No. 11: Aerospace & Defense: Inventing and Selling the Next Generation

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

“For innovation success,” wrote MIT researcher Michael Schrage, “do not follow the money.” He argued that while we can easily measure inputs such as research and development (R&D) spending, outputs and outcomes, such as R&D productivity or customers won or retained, tell us much more about the ability to innovate successfully.

DIIG Current Issues No. 10: Tracking U.S. Arms Sales to Iraq

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

On July 25, 2008, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the possible sale of six C-130J-30 aircraft and support systems to Iraq. DSCA has since issued 11 press releases alerting of follow-up sales. With the potential to total more than $14 billion in revenue for U.S.

DIIG Current Issues No. 9: An Economic Overview of U.S. Arms Sales

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

In the past two decades, the U.S. has exported arms worth well over $10 billion annually (in 2008 dollars). Tightly regulated by the government, these sales remain controversial. Advocates cite benefits such as political influence, greater interoperability with allies, a more resilient defense-industrial base, and cost savings from economies of scale.

DIIG Current Issues No. 8: The President's Government Contracting Review

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Sound companies always benefit from smarter customers.

DIIG Current Issues No. 7: Case Study: The Drivers of a Successful COTS Acquisition

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The efforts of the U.S. Department of Defense to match equipment acquisitions strategy with policy choices and effectively manage ongoing programs have repeatedly made news as the Obama administration attempts to define its priorities and identify programs that provide value to the warfighter and the taxpayer.

DIIG Current Issues No. 6: The VH-71 and the Industrial Base

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The VH-71 was one of the first high-profile US acquisition programs in which European firms played a prominent part. By allowing foreign manufacturers to participate, the Defense Department can get the benefits of a broader supplier universe, including greater competition and innovation.

Structure and Dynamics of the U.S. Federal Professional Services Industrial Base, 1995-2007

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. government has a permanent and growing reliance on contracts with the private sector for a wide range of professional and support services. For the past three years, CSIS research has tracked the trends driving the professional services industry since 1995. This report analyzes these trends through 2007, the most recent year for which reliable data are available.

DIIG Current Issues No. 5: The cost of cutting defense acquisition

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Defense acquisition cuts carry risks. Budget decisions must be consistent with a clear defense strategy. In particular, operational, financial and industrial-base factors have to be considered before opting to reduce defense acquisition spending.

Organizing for a Complex World

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Government agencies, primarily the U.S. Department of Defense, currently face an unparalleled leap in complexity as the information revolution presents opportunities to create large, complex net-centric systems-of-systems. Furthermore, individual weapon systems are becoming more intricate as more technology is inserted, requirements mount, and capabilities increase.

DIIG Current Issues No. 4: European Defense Spending Outlook, 2009

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The turmoil in the global economic system has placed defense budgets under scrutiny in many European countries, and responses have been varied. We examine recent developments in the five major European defense spenders:

Transitioning Defense Organizational Initiatives

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The CSIS U.S. Defense and National Security Group and Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group examined eight years of defense reforms during the administration of George W. Bush and identified for the incoming administration (1) successful reforms to maintain, (2) partially successful reforms to improve, (3) and failed experiments to halt.

DIIG Current Issues No. 3: Defense Economics

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500

While the U.S. economy slowed in the third calendar quarter, defense spending leaped, far outstripping other government agencies. It is tempting to draw the conclusion that defense spending is somehow not aligned with the rest of the economy. Here is why that conclusion is incorrect.

DIIG Current Issues No. 2: Small Businesses

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The Washington Post found that many contractors are misclassified as small businesses in the Federal Procurement Data Service. We provide additional information of the scope and nature of this problem.

DIIG Current Issues No. 1: Cost-Plus Contracts

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

For the first time in the history of televised presidential debates, contracting has moved to the stage. During the first Presidential debate, one candidate stated that to get defense costs under control, "we have to do away with cost-plus contracts.".

In addition to this report there is a "Cost-plus Contracting Narrated Slide Show"

Toward a U.S. Export Control and Technology Transfer System for the 21st Century

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The United States is currently involved in a wide spectrum of complex national security challenges around the world. Challenges posed by rising regional powers, global terrorism, and failed states will be long and enduring. These can only be effectively met with the help of our allies and coalition partners.

Health of the U.S. Space Industrial Base and the Impact of Export Controls

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The briefing summarizes the work of an independent Working Group, co-chaired by Mr. Tom Young (former EVP, Lockheed Martin Corporation), Dr. William Ballhaus (The Aerospace Corporation) and Mr. Pierre Chao (Senior Associate, CSIS), tasked to assess the health of the U.S. space industrial base in the international landscape and determine the impact of export controls on it.

The Structure and Dynamics of the U.S. Federal Professional Services Industrial Base, 1995-2005

Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The macro trends driving the professional services industry over the past decade extended into 2005 and 2006. There is a continuing and growing reliance on the private sector for a wide range of professional and support services by the U.S. government.

Security Threats and Responses in Central Europe

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400

On April 2-3, 2007 the CSIS New European Democracies Project and the CSIS Defense Industrial Initiatives Group (DIIG) hosted a two-day conference entitled Security Threats and Responses: Region

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Spiral Development, Real Options and Other Development Methodologies

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0400

On June 5, 2006, the Human Space Exploration Initiative in the Technology and Public Policy Program and the Defense Industrial Initiatives Group, both at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in partnership with the International Center for Decision and Risk Analysis at the University of Texas at Dallas, cohosted a workshop in Washington, D.

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An Assessment of the National Security Software Industrial Base

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0400

The ability of the Department of Defense (DoD) to meet its software challenges depends on both the user-driven requirements and demands for software-driven functionality, the quantity and quality o

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Structure and Dynamics of the U.S. Federal Professional Services Industrial Base 1995-2004

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0400

During the past decade, the U.S. government has been increasing its reliance on the private sector for a wide range of professional and support services.

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Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment Panel Final Report

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Final report of The Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment Panel, chaired by Ronald Kadish. Established by Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, the commission undertook a sweeping review of DoD acquisition practices and made numerous recommendations on how to improve the process (many of which were reflected in the 2005 Quadrenniel Defense Review).

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Beyond Goldwater-Nichols Phase II Report

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0400

This report brings the BG-N approach to bear on the entire U.S. national security structure. It proceeds from a number of overarching principles. The most relevant of these principles is that in an era of fast-moving, unpredictable challenges, government should be more agile – facilitating action is preferable to incentivizing inaction.

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