The Government Accountability Office is urging Congress to contemplate giving the Pentagon’s analysis and engineering workplace formal budget certification authority, arguing the change is required to strengthen oversight of the Department of War’s expertise investments and enhance alignment throughout the army departments.
In a report printed Thursday, GAO stated the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering is mostly executing its statutory roles—corresponding to issuing the 2023 National Defense Science and Technology Strategy—however faces limitations in managing service-led science and expertise efforts and in making certain these investments align with DOW-wide priorities.
Why Does GAO Want Congress to Expand OUSD(R&E)’s Authority?
According to the watchdog, OUSD(R&E) is constrained in its capability to affect army division analysis, growth, take a look at and analysis budgets. Officials famous that they usually obtain solely top-line knowledge and are given inadequate time to evaluation detailed division submissions through the annual finances cycle
GAO framed the authority as a mechanism to require earlier and extra full finances submissions for evaluation and to enhance visibility into whether or not service budgets assist DOW-wide expertise priorities.
However, GAO stated the Departments of the Army, Air Force and Navy disagreed with the thought. In its written feedback, the DOW raised issues that the added certification step may delay finances approval, scale back autonomy and improve workload.
What Issues Did GAO Flag in DOW’s Technology Planning and Road Maps?
GAO stated the companies’ science and expertise methods fluctuate in how present they’re and the way carefully they align with DOW’s S&T technique, making a danger that the army departments pursue applied sciences that don’t match DOW’s imaginative and prescient.
The report additionally stated OUSD(R&E) has not issued steerage for creating important expertise space roadmaps. GAO highlighted that with out such oversight, highway maps present inconsistent particulars on infrastructure and the commercial base, undermining their utility for leaders tasked with guiding nationwide investments.
GAO famous that OUSD(R&E) depends closely on info from the army departments; nonetheless, officers estimated the workplace’s knowledge assortment efforts seize solely about 70 p.c to 80 p.c of ongoing expertise growth initiatives, limiting oversight and coordination.
What Does GAO Want DOW to Do Next?
GAO made three suggestions to DOW, together with directing every army division to develop S&T methods that align with the National Defense S&T Strategy to the utmost extent practicable, issuing steerage for important expertise space roadmaps and offering steerage on the extent of funding wanted in every important expertise space to assist highway map alignment. DOW agreed with these suggestions.
The report comes as DOW’s fiscal yr 2026 finances request consists of almost $180 billion for expertise administration and enhancement.
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