Defense ReformWhether helping with excess military base closure and restructuring, or slashing wasteful spending and bureaucracy, BENS has for years marshaled the best of business to reform the military through a number of significant projects:
1984 — The Defense Authorization Act of 1984 was amended to include the creation of an independent testing office, the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation, within the Pentagon. 1984 — BENS partnered with the National Tooling and Machining Association and the National Federation of Independent Business in developing an amendment introduced by Congressman Berkley Bedell for greater competition in Defense Department contracts. 1984 — Congress passed major procurement reform that requires the Defense Department to justify any lack of competition in contracting. 1985 — Congress recognized BENS for its support in reforming defense contracting. 1986 — BENS urged for, and Congress passed, the False Claims Act Amendments of 1986, which increased incentives for whistleblowers to reveal contracting fraud. 1988 — The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission process, based on a concept proposed by BENS member Bill Tremayne, was established. To learn more about BENS’ work on BRAC and the billions of dollars it has saved, click here. 1990 — Following the end of the Cold War, BENS served as a non-partisan watchdog over Defense Department budget cuts and downsizing. The Department rejected congressional pork that did not align with the nation’s defense strategy; streamlined its practices; and reassessed programs, resulting in a defense budget that saved billions of taxpayer dollars while maintaining the strength and flexibility of U.S. defenses. 1991 — BENS launched the Fundamental Defense Management Reform Commission to recommend sound defense management principles. 1992 — The BENS Commission recommended 27 changes in its report, Report of the BENS Commission on Fundamental Defense Management Reform. As a blueprint for Congress, the White House, and the Pentagon, the report offered practical steps to ensure that defense dollars are spent wisely. The recommendations aimed to improve defense management through strategic planning, matching capabilities to strategy, streamlining congressional oversight, budgeting for stability and using more business practices in the Pentagon. 1992 — BENS members brought their business perspective to Capitol Hill, advocating for streamlining congressional defense oversight. A streamlining resolution gained strong support, passing both chambers of Congress. 1992, 1993 — BENS began a campaign championing the first major review of the armed forces since the National Security Act of 1947. The Report of the BENS Commission on Fundamental Defense Management Reform included some key recommendations. Of significance, Section 901 of the Defense Authorization Act of 1993 implemented the Commission’s recommendation that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff thoroughly review the roles and missions of the military. In addition, BENS authored and helped secure the passage of an amendment to the 1993 act requiring the Secretary of Defense to forward the Chairman’s triennial report to Congress for review. 1993 — Acting on BENS’ advice, the Department of Energy commissioned a panel to find the most effective uses for national laboratories. BENS played a significant role in urging the Department to undertake a business-minded overhaul of the laboratory system. 1993 — BENS helped ensure that small businesses could successfully compete for defense contracts by aiding the White House in developing new policies to assist small businesses affected by defense downsizing. 1993 — In congressional testimony, Erik R. Pages, Director of BENS Defense Transition Project, recommended business-minded improvements to transition programs for small contractors. 1993 — BENS and other defense policy advocacy organizations pressed for the creation of an independent military roles and missions commission. 1994 — Congress included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 1994 the creation of the Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces. 1994, 1995 — The White House initiated a series of state conferences, culminating in the June 1995 national conference, White House Conference on Small Businesses. The 695 delegates discussed assisting small businesses in transitioning to the post-Cold War period of defense downsizing. 1994 — Congress passed comprehensive procurement reforms, including the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994, which included many of BENS’ recommendations outlined in the Report of the BENS Commission on Fundamental Defense Management Reform. Additionally, Defense Secretary William Perry ordered the military to adopt commercial engineering standards, a position long advocated for by BENS. 1995 — The Department of Defense announced that it would implement seven recommendations from the Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces’ final report, Directions for Defense. 1995 — The Department of Energy committed to streamlining its nuclear weapons laboratory system in order to better meet America’s post-Cold War needs. 1995 — The fiscal year 1996 military construction budget contained $500 million worth of pork projects not requested by the Department of Defense. BENS uncovered these add-ons and highlighted them to every member of Congress. 1996 — Understanding the cost-effectiveness of increased commercial applicability of defense research, BENS strongly advocated preserving the Pentagon’s dual-use research and development programs. The Office of Dual-Use Policy was created and $100 million in new dual-use research and development funds were authorized. 1997 — With the support of then-Secretary of Defense William Cohen, BENS launched a Tail-to-Tooth Commission to help the Defense Department modernize its business and support process. For more on this project, including history, click here. 1999 — In its special report, Defense Department Jobs in Transition, BENS applied best business practices to make recommendations for Defense Department downsizing. 2000, 2001 — BENS worked closely with Navy leadership to identify and overcome barriers to creating the Navy Marine Corps Intranet. Sending letters of support, BENS urged Congress to restore full funding for the project. 2002 — BENS was instrumental in helping the Secretary of the Navy secure approval and funding for the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, which was projected at the time to save the Navy nearly $1.2 billion per year. 2007 — BENS worked alongside the Government Accountability Office to jointly advocate the establishment of a Chief Management Officer for the Department of Defense dedicated to achieving efficiency and cost savings that could be redirected to warfighters. 2008 — The Defense Authorization of Act required that the Deputy Defense Secretary become the Department’s Chief Management Officer and that the Senate confirm a Deputy Chief Management Officer to oversee the Business Transformation Agency. 2008 — Under the encouragement of Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, BENS set out to identify the burdens and constraints on the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) toward effectively acquiring information technology and services. To create a more efficient system, BENS laid out recommendations for the Department of Defense for IT acquisition. 2008 — Building upon its work to improve DISA acquisition processes, BENS launched a blue-ribbon panel to study the broader acquisition system and offer a business perspective for fundamental reform. To learn more about this project, click here. |