Rep. Ike Skelton Holds a Hearing On Contingency Contracting Reform

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Rep. Ike Skelton Holds a Hearing On Contingency Contracting Reform

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES HOLDS A HEARING ON CONTINGENCY CONTRACTING REFORM

APRIL 10, 2008

SPEAKERS: REP. IKE SKELTON, D-MO. CHAIRMAN REP. JOHN M. SPRATT JR., D-S.C. REP. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, D-TEXAS REP. GENE TAYLOR, D-MISS. REP. NEIL ABERCROMBIE, D-HAWAII REP. SILVESTRE REYES, D-TEXAS REP. VIC SNYDER, D-ARK. REP. ADAM SMITH, D-WASH. REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ, D-CALIF. REP. MIKE MCINTYRE, D-N.C. REP. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER, D-CALIF. REP. ROBERT A. BRADY, D-PA. REP. ROBERT E. ANDREWS, D-N.J. REP. SUSAN A. DAVIS, D-CALIF. REP. RICK LARSEN, D-WASH. REP. JIM COOPER, D-TENN. REP. JIM MARSHALL, D-GA. DEL. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, D-GUAM REP. MARK UDALL, D-COLO. REP. DAN BOREN, D-OKLA. REP. BRAD ELLSWORTH, D-IND. REP. NANCY BOYDA, D-KAN. REP. PATRICK J. MURPHY, D-PA. REP. HANK JOHNSON, D-GA. REP. CAROL SHEA-PORTER, D-N.H. REP. JOE COURTNEY, D-CONN. REP. DAVE LOEBSACK, D-IOWA REP. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, D-N.Y. REP. JOE SESTAK, D-PA. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, D-ARIZ. REP. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, D-MD. REP. KENDRICK B. MEEK, D-FLA. REP. KATHY CASTOR, D-FLA. REP. NIKI TSONGAS, D-MASS.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER, R-CALIF. RANKING MEMBER REP. H. JAMES SAXTON, R-N.J. REP. JOHN M. MCHUGH, R-N.Y. REP. TERRY EVERETT, R-ALA. REP. ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, R-MD. REP. HOWARD P. "BUCK" MCKEON, R-CALIF. REP. WILLIAM M. "MAC" THORNBERRY, R-TEXAS REP. WALTER B. JONES, R-N.C. REP. ROBIN HAYES, R-N.C. REP. TODD AKIN, R-MO. REP. J. RANDY FORBES, R-VA. REP. JEFF MILLER, R-FLA. REP. JOE WILSON, R-S.C. REP. FRANK A. LOBIONDO, R-N.J. REP. TOM COLE, R-OKLA. REP. ROB BISHOP, R-UTAH REP. MICHAEL R. TURNER, R-OHIO REP. JOHN KLINE, R-MINN. REP. PHIL GINGREY, R-GA. REP. MIKE D. ROGERS, R-ALA. REP. TRENT FRANKS, R-ARIZ. REP. BILL SHUSTER, R-PA. REP. THELMA DRAKE, R-VA. REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, R-WASH. REP. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, R-TEXAS REP. GEOFF DAVIS, R-KY. REP. DOUG LAMBORN, R-COLO. REP. ROB WITTMAN, R-VA.

WITNESSES: JOHN YOUNG JR., UNDERSECRETARY, ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY, AND LOGISTICS, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

JEFFREY PARSONS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ARMY CONTRACTING COMMAND, U.S. ARMY MATERIEL COMMAND

JACQUES S. GANSLER, CHAIRMAN, COMMISSION ON ARMY ACQUISITION AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT FOR EXPEDITIONARY OPERATIONS

[*] SKELTON: Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to today's hearing on Contingency Contracting: Implementing a Call for Urgent Reform.

We have with us today the top acquisition official of the Department of Defense, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, the Honorable John Young. We also have representing the Army the executive director of the new Army Contracting Command, Jeff Parsons. And we also have with us the distinguished former under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, Dr. Jacques Gansler, who chaired the Commission on Army Acquisition and Program Management for Expeditionary Operations. We thank you, and thank you for your long service, Dr. Gansler.

Let me begin by recognizing that we are here today to discuss serious problems with contracting and those problems are in part the result of actions taken by Congress and by our committee. In the late 1990s, we tried to cut the so-called "tooth to tail" ratio in the Department of Defense, and in so doing we pushed you to significantly reduce the size of the acquisition workforce. It is now clear that, just as with the Army's combat force, the acquisition workforce was cut too much. When the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, the Army lacked the capacity to manage the explosion in contingency contracting. The result has been disturbing mismanagement of c...

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