The health of the tactical solid rocket motor industrial base is a concern for the Senate Appropriators, who made that clear in calling for a report assessing foreign and domestic-sourced tactical propulsion.

United States CapitolThe domestic base for tactical solid rocket motors continues to be impacted by continued budget constraints, the use of foreign vendors and a lack of competition, appropriators said in the report accompanying their version of the FY ’15 Defense Appropriations Bill.

“For example, a foreign supplier began development and qualification for a new rocket motor on the AMRAAM missile in 2009 after the domestically supplied rocket failed to qualify because of issues with the propellant and the blast tube insulation,” committee members wrote.

Also, the committee learned the Navy could be looking into a rocket motor source from a foreign vendor for a tactical missile program.

Additionally, the committee said it understands the Army recently awarded a sole-source contract for rocket motors for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, a program that has been stable and in production for some time.

The committee’s concern is that there was no competition for a new rocket motor vendor and, in two other programs, the Defense Department is becoming more reliant on a foreign supplier.

“The Committee is closely following these developments across all services, as rocket motors continue to be a critical component of the defense industrial base,” the report said. “The Committee believes that whenever possible, domestic sources should be considered, and full and open competition employed before awarding contracts.”

That led members to propose directing the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics to conduct an independent assessment of domestic and foreign-sourced rocket motor propulsion for all DoD tactical missile programs.

This report should include the impacts of foreign-sourced rocket motors on domestic suppliers, and the national security impacts on the defense industrial base, panel members wrote. The report would be delivered to the congressional defense committees no later than 180 days of enactment of this act.

As well, the committee members want the Government Accountability Office to provide a report to the congressional defense committees “that outlines the assumptions and analysis utilized by the Army to justify a sole source contract to develop and qualify new, insensitive munitions compliant rocket motors for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, and why a competitive acquisition strategy was not used.”