Public Sector

Lessons from around the world: Benchmarking performance in defense

A first-of-its-kind benchmarking effort compares the productivity and performance of defense ministries across the globe, helping them pinpoint areas of inefficiency and identify the highest-potential opportunities.

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Improving US equipment acquisition

To address the perennial problems of cost overruns and lengthy delays in its major acquisition programs, the United States must introduce two elements critical to lasting acquisition reform: long-range budget planning and objective portfolio management. (PDF–364 KB) more

An expert view on defense procurement

Bernard Gray, an adviser to the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD), in 2009 wrote a scathing review of UK equipment acquisition. In this interview, he discusses the massive challenges the MOD faces—and how to overcome them.

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Mastering military maintenance

Maximizing asset availability without increasing costs will be a critical priority for armed forces in the years to come. We have found that armed forces can improve both the efficiency and the effectiveness of their maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) function by as much as 60 percent, but doing so requires fundamental changes to organization, processes, and mind-sets.

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Big savings from little things: Non-Equipment procurement

Despite constituting a substantial portion of defense budgets, non-equipment purchases tend to receive scant attention. Defense organizations can capture savings of up to 20 percent in non-equipment categories if they raise their game in several dimensions, including capability building, the use of proven purchasing tools and processes, and performance management.

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Stabilizing Iraq: A conversation with Paul Brinkley

The leader of the US effort to revitalize Iraq’s economy talks about the lessons he has learned over the past three years, the relationship between economic development and security, Western misconceptions of the Middle East, and the hardest part of his job.

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Supply chain transformation under fire

Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan exposed weaknesses in the UK armed forces' supply chain and provided a powerful impetus for change. The resulting improvements offer valuable lessons for other militaries’ supply chains.

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A dynamic strategy for uncertain times

A world of fast-changing conditions and heightened uncertainty demands that defense agencies act with speed and flexibility. They can do so by taking an iterative, dynamic approach to strategic management.

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"Without taboos": France's new defense policy

Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan exposed weaknesses in the UK armed forces' supply chain and provided a powerful impetus for change. The resulting improvements offer valuable lessons for other militaries’ supply chains.

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