Defense Acquisitions: DOD Should Take Additional Actions to Improve How It Approaches Intellectual Property

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DOD) acquires and licenses intellectual property (IP) for its cutting-edge weapon systems. Yet, DOD often does not acquire the IP it needs to operate and maintain those systems, which can lead to surging costs later. In 2019, DOD assigned specific IP responsibilities to organizations within the department. However, we found DOD had not fully addressed how the IP Cadre—DOD's new group of specialized experts—will fulfill all of its responsibilities. The IP Cadre faced uncertainty in three areas: (1) DOD planned to provide the Director of the IP Cadre and his team in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) with funding for five positions through fiscal year 2023. IP Cadre members told us the temporary positions could present future staffing obstacles. (2) The members of the IP Cadre at OSD expect to tap into a larger pool of IP experts across DOD. However, DOD had not detailed how the OSD team will work with these experts. (3) DOD officials said the department lacked sufficient expertise in two key areas—IP valuation and financial analysis. We made four recommendations to DOD. DOD concurred with all four recommendations. Our original report is accessible at www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104752.