Congressionally-Constrainted Pentagon Castigates Contractors

• The Pentagon is increasingly enforcing an Earned Value Management clause in defense acquisition legislation (DFARS 252.242-7005) to withhold payments from prime contractors whose internal business systems are found inadequate.

• Todd Harrison and Mark Gunzinger from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) argue that the US Congress should stop interfering, both fiscally and strategically, with the Department of Defense, and allow more flexibility in DoD’s decision making.