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The Defense Department Inspector General has outlined the top-10 management challenges facing DoD for fiscal 2021 and beyond.
Topping the list is the need to maintain an advantage while balancing great power competition and countering global terrorism, according to the report published last month.
The inspector general is required, by law, to prepare the annual statement of “the most serious management and performance challenges facing the agency” as part of the DoD’s annual financial report.
In addition to the top challenge, other challenges facing the U.S. military include:
• Building and sustaining the DoD’s technological dominance;
• Strengthening resiliency to non-traditional threats;
• Assuring space dominance, nuclear deterrence and ballistic missile defense;
• Enhancing cyberspace operations and capabilities and securing the DoD’s information systems, network and data;
• Transforming data into a strategic asset;
• Ensuring health and safety of military personnel, retirees and their families;
• Strengthening and securing the DoD supply chain and defense industrial base;
• Improving financial management and budgeting; and
• Promoting ethical conduct and decision-making.
Officials note the challenges are not listed in order of priority. “Rather, each challenge is critical to ensuring that the DoD meets its mission to provide combat-ready forces to defend the United States,” according to the report.
The first challenge reflects the DoD’s refocusing of its efforts on countering China, Russia, Iran and North Korea following 20 years of counterterrorism operations. Each potential adversary poses different threats than terrorist organizations and requires distinct strategies, capabilities and operations.
Other challenges are related to emerging technologies and threats from pandemics, extreme weather caused by climate change and more.
A copy of the report is available at www.defense.gov.
