A senior Pentagon official told missile-defense contractors yesterday "quality control" of industry products is so poor it has risen to be one of the preeminent problems facing the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). "I have gone to a point where I am withholding funding for current contracts because I don't see the level of certainty and the level of culture necessary for the precision work that's required," MDA Director Army Lt. Gen. Patrick O'Reilly said at a Washington conference.Does he need Joint Credit somewhere? I can sure think of a few Navy jobs we need him at.
O'Reilly, who has led MDA for roughly a year now, called for "culture change" and "personnel changes" in industry.My heart is all a'flutter.
"Replace people, fire people, do whatever you've got to do," he said at the conference full of defense contractors. "But we've got to have the change in the culture so you produce precision instruments in which many of these capabilities are, or (you have to) redesign so that we can then take advantage of greater tolerances."
He said the government also contributed to quality-control shortcomings, and "the blame's on all of us."
Hat tip YNSN.
