Army to hire 1,400 for acquisition command

Army to hire 1,400 for acquisition command
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 6, 2007 18:39:45 EST

The Army will establish a top-level command and hire 1,400 new acquisition personnel to improve its contracting operations, senior service officials said Wednesday, a move that follows heavy criticism over the way supplies and equipment were purchased for combat forces.

At a congressional hearing, Claude Bolton, the Army’s top acquisition executive, said the command would be headed by a two-star general who would have two one-star deputies.

It’s expected to take two years to hire the additional 1,400 personnel — 400 military personnel and 1,000 civilians — but it will take five to 10 years before this additional work force is properly experienced, Lt. Gen. Ross Thompson, Bolton’s deputy, told the Senate Armed Services readiness subcommittee.

In late October, a panel chaired by former Pentagon acquisition chief Jacques Gansler said Army contracting employees were “understaffed, overworked, undertrained, undersupported, and, most important, undervalued.” Those shortcomings created an environment ripe for the contract fraud scandals now plaguing the Army, the panel concluded.

Recommendations included adding the 1,400 personnel the Army now plans to bring on to help with Army contracts. The report also called for five new general officer positions in the Army’s contracting work force. That is intended to attract talented people to a field most would otherwise avoid because of dim prospects for career advancement.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_armycontracting_071206/



uhc comment: File this under WTF. Here's a few budget threads -->

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=7478
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=7582
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=7711
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=7888
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=7889
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=7929