Pentagon ought to delay shopping for new planes for Special Operations Command, advises GAO
The Defense Department ought to maintain off on shopping for dozens of small, fixed-wing plane that U.S. Special Operations Command says can be used for shut air help and intelligence-gathering missions in austere environments like Africa, the Government Accountability Office mentioned.
Special Operations Command plans to take a position greater than $2 billion to purchase 75 L3Harris Sky Warden fighters as a part of its Armed Overwatch program. The GAO on Thursday mentioned Congress has expressed considerations about this system and delayed funding till the Defense Department supplies it with further info.
The Pentagon mentioned Armed Overwatch would supply air help for forces working in “permissive and semipermissive environments” — conditions with little to no threats in opposition to allied plane.
The GAO mentioned that research accomplished in 2021 and 2022 didn’t justify Special Operations Command’s requirement for 75 Sky Warden plane. The company added that the Pentagon failed to judge the necessity for Armed Overwatch regardless of altering circumstances, such because the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Special Operations Command “is not well-positioned to justify its acquisition target or timeline and is at risk of acquiring more or even fewer aircraft than it needs,” the GAO investigators mentioned of their report.
The Defense Department ought to analyze the variety of Armed Overwatch plane wanted after contemplating adjustments to how Special Operations Command would function sooner or later. It additionally ought to restrict the acquisition of the plane till Special Operations Command completes its evaluation, the GAO mentioned.
Special Operations Command officers advised GAO investigators any adjustments to the deliberate schedule for buying the Armed Overwatch plane would possibly have an effect on the fee per plane. But, they weren’t shopping for it.
Ensuring that Special Operations Command has totally assessed the variety of plane it wants in opposition to any price adjustment will allow it to “facilitate the prudent use” of greater than $2.2 billion it estimates to spend on Armed Overwatch by means of 2028, the GAO mentioned.
The watchdog group mentioned Special Operations Command should put together for a future the place it may deter strategic rivals and reply to violent organizations.
“To position itself to achieve both missions, (they) must invest its resources wisely and ensure it is acquiring capabilities designed for future fights, and not merely the operations of the past 20 years,” the GAO mentioned.
