Acquisition Risks in a World of Joint Capabilities

Abstract

The move to joint capabilities has proven to be an important paradigm shift in defense. The reasons for the shift are grounded in the need to allow the agility that shared resources provide. This research sought to identify whether the need for joint capabilities influenced acquisition success. This study examined five years worth of data and looked at a number of interdependencies for their influence on acquisition success. Two specific objectives were pursued: (1) to test the influence of funding and data interdependencies on acquisition performance, and (2) to test the interdependent programs for the presence of cascading effects. The results proved particularly pivotal. With additional research, the study of interdependencies may offer promise for improving early assessment of program development resources, establishing more realistic program thresholds, and highlighting areas of risk that may have escaped management attention.