Thursday, March 18, 2010
The United States military may be one of the finest in the world, but it’s not very efficient when it comes to buying weapons. A study of the 33 leading armed nations conducted by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found the U.S. tied with Australia for last place for military procurement efficiency because it buys from domestic companies instead of shopping around for good value.
“In general, countries that make it a point to support their domestic defense industries have higher procurement costs than those that rely on imports,” reads the report, according to Defense News. “Countries that procure older equipment from the global market tend to have very capable fleets for less money.”
While the U.S. received a score of only 17 for getting the most out of its defense purchases, the average score among the 33 nations surveyed was 100. The most efficient countries were Brazil, with a score of 330, followed by Poland (287) and Russia (253).
The U.S. also received a low rating (second-to-last) in what is known as the “tooth-to-tail” ratio. “Tooth” refers to combat troops, while “tail” includes personnel engaged in non-combat tasks, such as procurement, maintenance, accounting and combat support. Only 16% of U.S. military personnel are combat forces, whereas the world average is 26%.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Report: U.S. Last in Combat Gear Output Per Spent Dollar (by John Bennett, Defense News)
Defense Contract Management Agency (AllGov)
Comments