Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009

Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009

Long title	An Act to improve the organization and procedures of the Department of Defense for the acquisition of major weapon systems, and for other purposes.
Enacted by	the 111th United States Congress
Effective	May 22, 2009
Legislative history
Introduced in the Senate as S. 454 by Carl Levin (D–MI) on February 23, 2009 Committee consideration by Armed Services Passed the Senate on May 7, 2009 (93-0) Passed the House on May 13, 2009 (428-0) Reported by the joint conference committee on May 19th, 2009; agreed to by the Senate on May 20th, 2005 (95-0) and by the House on May 21st, 2009 (411-0) Signed into law by President Barack Obama on May 22, 2009

The Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act, formally known as the Weapons Acquisition System Reform Through Enhancing Technical Knowledge and Oversight Act of 2009, was an Act of Congress created to reform the way the Pentagon contracts and purchases major weapons systems. It was signed into law on May 22, 2009, by President Barack Obama.^[1]

The Congressional Budget Office predicted that the reforms would cost US$55 million and should be in place by the end of 2010. The reforms are expected to save millions, perhaps even billions of dollars during the 2010s.^[2] According to the Government Accountability Office, nearly 70% of the Pentagon's 96 biggest weapons programs were over budget in 2008. Another government report detailed $295 billion in waste and cost overruns in defense contracts.^[1] The legislation created a Pentagon office, the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE), to analyze the cost of new programs. CAPE reports directly to the Secretary of Defense and supersedes the Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation (PA&E). It also puts more emphasis on testing new weapons before they enter production to ensure sufficient development, giving commanders more say in weapons requirements.^[1]