COVID-19 wallops US acquisition projects and threatens future spending

19th May 2020 - 16:00 GMT | by Jason Sherman in New York

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The US DoD is bracing for a potential three-month slip to the schedules of its big-ticket weapons portfolio in the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Such setbacks will introduce inefficiencies, delay key milestones and cost billions of dollars.

Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, estimates a blanket 90-day effect on all Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs): a roster of about 100 of the largest programmes that are collectively worth $2 trillion, including sunk costs and projected spending.

‘We believe there will be a three-month impact that we can see right now,’ Lord told reporters

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Author

Jason Sherman

Jason Sherman is a US-based journalist. Since 1994, he has covered the Pentagon, defence industry, …

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