Military Value and Program Impact Book for NSWC Corona Page: 6 of 24
This book is part of the collection entitled: Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
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THE COST OF CLOSURE: MAKING THE CASE FOR CORONA (continued)
iONE MUST ONLY
LOOK TO THE
COLUMBIA
SHUTTLE
DISASTER TO
WITNESS THE
CONSEQUENCES
OF RELYING ON
NON-GOVERNMENT
AGENTS TO
OVERSEE AND
ENSURE THAT
ADEQUATE TESTING
IS PERFORMED 9This problem was highlighted in a September 2004 article in "National Defense"
Magazine which stated that, "it is not unusual to hear defense officials complain
that contractors are too focused on their financial bottom lines, rather than on the
quality of their products and the needs of the customer. They also blame the
industry's rapid consolidation into a handful of conglomerates for a perceived
decline in technical innovation." In response to concerns about industry quality
control, the article later quotes LtGen Brian Arnold, Commander of the U.S. Air
Force Space and Missile Systems Center, as saying, "We [the military] see a lot
of quality problems."
One must only look to the Columbia Shuttle disaster to witness the consequences
of relying on non-government agents to oversee and ensure that adequate testing
is performed. Following the crash, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board
was commissioned to determine the causes of the disaster and recommend cor-
rective actions. Chaired by retired Navy Admiral Harold Gehman, the CAIB
published an exhaustive report that explored both the immediate technical caus-
es of the crash as well as organizational elements that contributed to the death of
the seven-member crew. Among the CAIB's key findings were: (a) the NASA
Shuttle program was under intense pressure to remain on schedule resulting in a
series of exemptions and waivers of safety and performance requirements; (b)
NASA lacked a robust independent program technical authority that had com-
plete control over specifications and requirements; and (c) there appeared to be
an over reliance on aerospace contractors who constituted nearly 70% of the
workforce. Among its recommended changes, the CAIB argued that all level-one
specifications, requirements, and waivers should be vested within a technical and
engineering organization that is divorced from the cost and schedule process. It
was the opinion of the Board that this one management change could directly and
positively affect a fundamental cause of the disaster. During subsequent con-
gressional testimony, Admiral Gehman specifically cited NSWC Corona, an
organization that provides independent assessment, as a very attractive model to
emulate for fixing a number of NASA's shuttle problems.
2. NSWC Corona's Intellectual Capital.
Corona possesses a professional staff that is recognized as a national, not simply
a naval, asset. Among Corona's specialized workforce are approximately 100
individuals that are identified as one-of-a-kind and which do not exist in private
industry, government, or academia. These high value subject matter experts are
specifically detailed on page 11 of this report. A review of previous BRAC
actions reveals that approximately 70-75% of civilian workers employed at a
base identified for closure or realignment refuse to transfer. A recent survey of
Corona employees indicated that fewer than 20% of current staff would consid-
er relocating should Corona close, and its functions move beyond 50 miles of
CoronafRiverside, California. This survey supports earlier ones which found a
similar resistance to leave a community for which they have long-time profes-
sional and family roots.m
M!
M .---- , i I
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Military Value and Program Impact Book for NSWC Corona, book, July 26, 2005; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc18662/m1/6/?q=technical+manual: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.