The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) program was developed in 2007 by the Department of Defense (DOD) to acquire and field the new vehicles for combat operations. The purpose of the report on the program’s development and achievements is to present the results of the study conducted by the United States Government Accountability Office with references to the program’s process, results, challenges, and lessons learned from the acquisition (Sullivan, 2009). The report provides the assessment of the program’s results basing on the several years study. The need for more armored tactical vehicles was determined in 2005, and the program was developed to acquire three versions of MRAP of different sizes and power: the smallest version of MRAP, the multi-mission platform, and the largest version of the MRAP vehicles (MRAP vehicles, 2007).
The successes of the program’s realisation depend on determining the highest level of priority of the program and discussing it as the most important acquisition program of the period. The positive aspects of the program’s development are the orientation to the proven technologies, the establishment of the minimal operational requirements to provide the company with the possibilities to meet them effectively and the progressive approach to the processes of testing and fielding the vehicles. To provide the vehicles of the highest quality, the orders were developed depending on the concurrent testing approach. Nine commercial sources were determined to choose the most effective and appropriate vehicles among them when the contract was based on buying four vehicles to test the production of all the companies on the questions of design and performance. The accents were made on the progressive testing and on the proper assessment of the production. It was stated that MRAPs are developed vehicles which can be used for providing the specific missions effectively (Sullivan, 2009).
It is fixed in the report that the success of the program is based on establishing the minimal operational requirements and determining proven technologies for their further testing and using. The advantages of the usage of commercially available products were supported with references to the program’s results. It was stated that the MRAPs respond to the requirements of safety and sustainability and perform effectively within the theatre of the war actions. The minimum requirements determined by DOD for vehicles for specific missions were met (Sullivan, 2009).
The program’s challenges are associated with the issues and concepts of reliability, mobility, and safety connected with testing and adapting the vehicles for their further usage in operations. The main requirement is that the weapons must be fully tested before being fielded. The procedure of testing takes much time, and it should be correlated with the terms of the order. It was mentioned that the necessary testing operations were completed in 2008, and the number of vehicles was fielded in time. The requirements were met and the vehicles and their qualities were tested and fielded quickly (Sullivan, 2009).
Such lessons were learned as the necessity of orientation to the commercial producers because of the high quality of the production provided; the MRAPs are successfully fielded because of the efficient approach of DOD to testing and using the vehicles; the progressive and proven technologies should be used for implementing and fielding; the urgent requirements could be met when they are stated clearly, and the flexibility of actions is allowed; the role of investment in the S&T community is significant.
References
MRAP vehicles. (2007). Web.
Sullivan, M. (2009). Defense acquisitions: Rapid acquisition of MRAP vehicles. Web.