March 4, 2009 1:45PM 

# Defense Cost Overruns 

By [Chris Edwards](https://www.cato.org/people/chris-edwards) 

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Wow, a bipartisan effort to actually do something about government waste. From the [*Washington Post* today](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/03/AR2009030302949.html?hpid=topnews):

> A bill to end cost overruns in major weapons systems would create a powerful new Pentagon position — director of independent cost assessments — to review cost analyses and estimates, separately from the military branch requesting the program.
> 
> divThose reviews, unlike in the current process, would take place at key points in the acquisition process before a weapons program can proceed, according to legislation sponsored by Sen. Carl M. Levin (D‑Mich.) and Sen. John McCain (R‑Ariz.)

This seems like a step forward, but cost overruns are a big problem across the entire federal government, not just at the Pentagon. Federal financial management of energy, highway, and computer projects has been appalling, for example. I’ve written about this [here](https://www.cato.org/pubs/tbb/tbb-0309-17.pdf) and elsewhere.

The government needs to buy weapons, and so we should try to improve the Pentagon process as best we can. However, the federal government does not need to buy highways, airports, air traffic control computers and many other things that have chronic cost overruns. Those items should be [privatized](http://www.downsizinggovernment.com/privatization).

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Department of Defense](https://www.cato.org/department-defense), [Downsizing Government](https://www.cato.org/downsizing-government) 

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