The Nunn–McCurdy Amendment or Nunn–McCurdy Provision, introduced by Senator
Sam Nunn
Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. (born September 8, 1938) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Georgia (1972–1997) as a member of the Democratic Party.
After leaving Congress, Nunn co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiat ...
and Congressman
Dave McCurdy
David Keith McCurdy (born March 30, 1950) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and former politician who was the Democratic U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 4th congressional district, in office from 1981 to 1995. Described as a moderate or con ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
1982
Defense Authorization Act
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the name for each of a series of United States federal laws specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense. The first NDAA was passed in 1961. The U.S. Congress ov ...
and made permanent in 1983, is designed to curtail cost growth in American
weapons procurement programs.
It requires notification to the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
if the cost per unit goes more than 25% beyond what was originally estimated and calls for the termination of programs with total cost growth greater than 50%, unless the
Secretary of Defense submits a detailed explanation certifying:
# the program is essential to national security, that no suitable alternative of lesser cost is available;
# new estimates of total program costs are reasonable; and
# management structure is (or has been made) adequate to control costs.
Congress normally regards the explanations from the Secretary of Defense as acceptable. It is unusual for a program to be cancelled as a result of notification, but it has led to many changes to project management.
In 2006, the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
proposed amending the provision to require a detailed explanation, including information about possible alternatives, at the 15%-cost-growth mark.
Examples
* The
Space-Based Infrared System
The Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is a United States Space Force system intended to meet the United States' Department of Defense infrared space surveillance needs through the first two to three decades of the 21st century. The SBIRS prog ...
(SBIRS) was affected by the provision in 2002 and again in 2005.
*The US Army's
Future Combat Systems
Future Combat Systems (FCS) was the United States Army's principal modernization program from 2003 to early 2009. Formally launched in 2003, FCS was envisioned to create new brigades equipped with new manned and unmanned vehicles linked by an unpr ...
was cancelled in 2009 due to cost overruns.
*Marine Corps'
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) (formerly known as the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV)) was an amphibious assault vehicle developed by General Dynamics during the 1990s and 2000s for use by the U.S. Marine Corps. It would ...
vehicle programs was cancelled in 2011 due to cost overruns.
*The US Navy's
''Zumwalt''-class destroyer's production cost increased from a projected $300 million to $4.24 billion per ship, triggering a Nunn–McCurdy Amendment breach and cancellation of further production in 2016.
["Root Cause Analyses of Nunn-McCurdy Breaches -- Zumwalt-Class Destroyer, Joint Strike Fighter, Longbow Apache, and Wideband Global Satellite," Rand Corporation (2011); see Vol. 1, Ch. 3 via http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1171z1.html .]
References
External links
*
S.UP.AMDT.105 at THOMAS2002 Nunn–McCurdy breaches
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunn-McCurdy Amendment
United States federal defense and national security legislation
United States defense procurement