On the recordDecember 15, 2011
I would like to voice my concerns regarding two provisions included in the conference report, sections 321 and 327. These provisions constitute a major rewrite of depot policies and laws. These sections have not been sufficiently vetted. They could potentially hurt competition in acquisition programs, harm our public depots, and cause unintended consequences that could significantly affect not only depots, but also the private sector industrial base and the thousands of employees in both sectors. In February, the Logistics Management Institute, LMI, delivered a report to Congress making recommendations to modify the depot statutes. Both Armed Services Committees asked DOD to offer input on the LMI study, but the Department did not do so. The Senate held DOD to account in the committee report accompanying this very bill, which states: The committee is concerned that a lack of Department of Defense input regarding the findings and recommendations of the LMI study does not provide Congress with a comprehensive view prior to enacting legislation that could have unintended consequences. But even without DOD input, the House went ahead and included changes to depot provisions when it passed its bill in May. The Senate-passed bill also included a provision to prohibit any change to the definition of depot maintenance until after the Defense Business Board conducted its own study as well.…





