Publisher's Synopsis
"Reform and Experimentation after the Cold War, the 5th volume in the series History of Acquisition in the Department of Defense, focuses on the adoption in the 1990s of new concepts and methods for acquiring major weapon systems. The changes came from several quarters--the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services, and Congress--and in response to numerous pressures. The most important of these were the end of the Cold War and the resulting decline in defense spending; advances in weapons technology, especially information technology; and the widespread belief that the acquisition system was failing to deliver the weapon systems the nation needed, when it needed them, and at a cost it was willing to pay. Both President George H. W. Bush and President William J. "Bill" Clinton made correcting acquisition's perceived weaknesses a high priority. Reforms aimed at decreasing the time required to develop and