(click on picture to enlarge it)
So Pops — *this* was the slide you told us to post? #1 doesn’t think so but he doesn’t know jack anyway.
Do you really do this….stuff…at work? Now we know what they mean about not trusting anyone over 30.
-Steeljaw Apprentice #3
Some thoughts and wishes on the cusp of the New Year: Blog direction: Have taken the downtime during the holiday interregnum to map out some new directions. There are ample commentaries re. the war in Iraq and the ongoing GWOT (or GWAT if one prefers). Adding my 2-pence worth would be but another pebble in…
Well, despite the best efforts of the distaff side yesterday with an unplanned site mod (which we wrapped up in the wee-hours of the night with the last a/v cable re-zip-tied in place, btw) – plan on seeing some major changes around here with the New Year. Fear not – the favorites will remain and…
11,000 tons gross displacement. 622.5 ft long. 45 aircraft – that was the USS San Jacinto (CVL 30). Sixty-five years ago, on a September morning, a young naval aviator launched his Grumman TBF Avenger from her deck on a mission to strike facilities at Chi Chi Jima. Forty-five years later he was raising his hand,…
Some interesting end-of-year numbers from www.pingdom.com: Email 1.3 billion – The number of email users worldwide. 210 billion – The number of emails sent per day in 2008. 70% – The percentage of emails that are spam. 53.8 trillion – The number of spam emails sent in 2008 (assuming 70% are spam). Internet users 1,463,632,361…
So comes that time of year when we are prompted to render thanks. While some hew to a generic form thereof, others would like to be more direct in their thanks, delivering same directly to someone at the pointy end, as it were. Well, you’re in luck. Over the next several days we will be…
…and Skippy, here’s one just for you
Comments are closed.
All kidding aside, what is the decision-making process like for something which is feasible, needed ASAP, and is cost-effecitve? Would the path to a final decision still be so convoluted?
Veritas et Fidelis Semper
I think the first thing would be smelling salts for the procurement officers! I worked in the DOD world many years it’s extremely rare to find all of those in the same package. If it’s needed ASAP it normally costs more, if its feasible we still have to investigate the non-feasible alternatives (sole-source justification), and if it’s cost effective we have to investigate for some months or years to make sure it’s really what they say so that means you can’t get it ASAP. By the time it’s justified, researched and approved it’s no long feasible as there has been a work around found or a new and better technology available.
Thank you for taking the time to respond, sir. Basically, it appears that absolutely no one benefits except, of course, the………..well, I don’t really know what to call them………..paper-pushers who invent these mazes to make something which should be perfwectly clear and easy exceedingly complex!
Well, in the meantime, we “shortest path from A to B” folks must keep plugging away and not become discouraged. Either that or come into a great deal of money so that we may overhaul this process…….it could be done, and that’s not just wishful thinking.
Veritas et Fidelis Semper
The system is the system. Many different SecDef’s have tried many different methods of acquisition reform but none has had the kind of impact that would lead to a “sensible” process by your expectations. And don’t forget Congress is involved too, they have to pass TWO bills, one to authorize the budget for purchases and one to FUND that same authorization. Those bills can be seriously different. So even IF there was a fast-track process (which there sorta is but its still slow by civilian standards) the money has to be there from Congress to buy the items or has to be taken (and moved..which requires more paper) from other areas. The areas that lose the $$ can put up a fight within the system or via their CongressCritters. Case in point was body armor and up-armored HUMVEEs for the troops in Iraq, that process kicked off close to 2 yrs ago, Congress gave DoD the money pretty fast and the needs are just now getting filled. You can’t turn the Titanic on a dime.