Pentagon’s Cost Assessment Shop to Vet Nuke Progress

The Pentagon’s in-house cost and performance assessment shop will track progress on the reforms the Defense Department is instituting to the nuclear enterprise, said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Analysts in the Office of Cost Analysis and Program Evaluation will assess the implementation of more than 100 recommendations across the services, and provide regular updates on the their effect to Hagel and Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, said Hagel during a Pentagon briefing on Nov. 14. “We need to know what’s working and what’s not,” he said. He said he expects these reports every month going forward. In addition, Hagel said he’s established the Nuclear Deterrent Enterprise Review Group that will be composed of senior officials responsible for training, funding, and implementing the nuclear mission. The group will report to Hagel on a quarterly basis. These mechanisms will ensure accountability and the necessary follow-through to implement the reforms, said Hagel. “You can have the structure and process, but without accountability, it will unwind,” he said.