Leaving space

General Accounting Office auditors recently reviewed military satellite services. Here's what they found:

The process that the Defense Information Services Agency uses to acquire commercial satellite bandwidth is fair to vendors and

subcontractors.

Some Defense Department users, however, see the current process as too lengthy and too expensive, a perception that GAO's analysis confirmed.

Some users bypass DISA to procure satellite services through other channels.

DOD officials do not have a system in place to track how much they are spending on commercial satellite services, nor do they gather the necessary information to know whether customer needs are being met.

Source: General Accounting Office