Quarrelsome committees in US defense acquisition: the KC-X case |
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Authors: | Raymond Franck Bernard Udis |
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Affiliation: | 1. Economics, USAF Academy, New Braunfels, TX, USA;2. Economics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Sandia Park, NM, USA |
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Abstract: | When the US Air Force set out to acquire a new aerial tanker (the KC-X), two highly suitable alternatives were offered. What could have been a short and simple source selection turned into a prolonged embarrassment. The original selection of 100 leased KC-767s was made in May 2003. But the KC-46 is expected to be operational in 2017 – more than a decade later. Our primary purpose here is to narrate and explain key events in the KC-X program. We search for useful paradigms, based in part on the US Government being better viewed as a quarrelsome committee than a monopsonist. In addition, we consider what this case might tell us about the US defense acquisition system. |
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Keywords: | Aerial tankers Defense acquisition management KC-X program Allison’s three models |
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