Strong or Weak Procurement System~ Department of Defense The Department of Defense (DOD) is notorious for having a backwards system and carries the most complaints from customers on it acquisition process. The complaints seem to be that the process takes longer, cost more, and deliver less than it should. The Defense Board advised on reforming the entire system. This system will make service chiefs more engaged and accountable in the acquisition process. The chiefs are not engaged and the current system is too complex and uncoordinated. Other challenges include a “malnourished” acquisition workforce with inadequate training. With the workforce, not being promoted quickly enough there is a high turnover and goals are lacking for the tenure senior managers. With the board dissecting the issues, they also cited several other items that the DOD needs to fix. The DOD reporting system is frustrating due to the lack of system engineering expertise. When an employee does not understand what the DOD needs and orders, a wrong part this causes headaches and confusion. The department’s inability to modernize its cyber security and information technology to stay up to date with the ever-growing threat in the technology world. The DOD has a lack of sufficient, two-way partnership with industries where the department engages suppliers early on the cost, scheduling and technical feasibility. Overall, the DOD needs to work on their SOPs to become a more efficient industry. The Defense Board recommended that the DOD incorporate a new acquisition system and revamp all directives and regulations. With some push back the new system needs to retain some aspects of the current system, the board suggested that the new acquisition system should train acquisition professionals to identify, quantify, manage, and mitigate risk. Further recommendation is to engage the service chiefs in the process advising them their inputs are vital to ensuring the needs of the military. This will include military engineers to oversee the development of the systems complex weapons systems. This will help on the confusion of wrong parts ordered and money wasted. They will also need to improve their Cyber-security and IT to formulate a system that less vulnerable to threats. With such an issue with the DOD procurement system, some of the larger companies have contracted to the DOD to provide better services to the military. BAE Systems has contracted out these services and they provide such services to assist the DOD, to better improve their system. BAE Systems has a mission statement in place and follow a detailed SOP to ensure all regulations are adhered by. The mission statement is as follows along with the objective of the SOP.

|BAE SYSTEMS MISSION STATEMENT |
|To proactively provide timely and cost-effective solutions to procurement requirements for our internal program customers, while|
|maintaining the integrity of BAE Systems Support Solutions through strict adherence to established procedures and applicable |
|laws and regulations. (2012)