By Emelie Rutherford
A senior lawmaker said he sees merit in a proposal to mandate defense firms turn over technical specifications of their weapon systems to the Pentagon to allow additional companies to build the equipment.
“We might have to do it at some point,” House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) said in an interview last Friday. “We probably have to have a hearing on that to make sense” of the proposal.
HASC member Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) unveiled the idea in August, saying: “On those major (defense) programs…we are (considering) demanding that when we buy something, we own the technical data package, that from now on we will own the specifications so that if we think the contractor is not being fair with us, we can put it out for bid for someone else.” (Defense Daily, Aug. 3).
The fiscal year 2010 defense authorization act signed by President Barack Obama last week states the two Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) builders must give the Navy the specifications for the vessels if their cost cannot be controlled.
Taylor wants to build on the LCS idea and start requiring more defense contractors give the government the technical data packages for the sundry systems they develop.
Skelton told Defense Daily “there really shouldn’t be any argument” about doing that for the LCS program. He said, in theory, it appears to be possible to extend this requirement to more weapons programs.
“I think so,” he said. “Of course, I’m prejudging what a hearing might (uncover). There may be some problems I don’t understand. But, theoretically, it sounds possible.”
The Pentagon already gains the rights to the specifications for some items it buys.