The state of U.S. shipbuilding has recently drawn significant attention for all the wrong reasons. A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted the failures of the U.S. Navy’s modernization efforts, particularly the nearly $2 billion wasted on a failed upgrade to the Navy’s cruisers. This alarming revelation, coupled with critiques from industry experts and political figures, has left many questioning the efficiency of current procurement practices. According to the GAO, the Navy’s "poor planning and oversight forced the sea service to decommission four of the seven cruisers mid-service," ("What's Wrong with US Shipbuilding?"). resulting in $1.84 billion spent on modernizing vessels that would never see active deployment.
These concerns have not gone unnoticed. A top advisor to President Donald Trump called the situation an “absolute mess,” highlighting systemic inefficiencies that have led to massive waste. The problems outlined in the GAO report, including “schedule delays, poor planning, and quality oversight,” ("What's Wrong with US Shipbuilding?") are not isolated incidents. They paint a broader picture of a shipbuilding sector in disarray, leaving taxpayers and military personnel alike to suffer the consequences.
However, there is a solution available today: nGAP Inc.’s Open Acquisition System (OAS). This innovative application promises to revolutionize the way the military approaches procurement, with the potential to address the issues that have plagued U.S. shipbuilding for years. Let’s explore how the OAS can solve these pressing challenges and steer the U.S. Navy toward a more efficient and accountable future.
Addressing Poor Planning and Oversight
At the heart of the Navy’s failed cruiser upgrade was a breakdown in planning and oversight. The GAO report was clear: the Navy’s inability to properly plan and execute the modernization project resulted in unnecessary delays and cost overruns. This issue is not unique to shipbuilding but permeates various sectors of military procurement.
OAS offers a solution by prioritizing transparency and real-time data sharing among all stakeholders. By creating an open, centralized platform for managing contracts, schedules, and progress reports, OAS helps ensure that all parties involved—from project managers to contractors—have access to the same information. This transparency eliminates the silos that often lead to poor decision-making and ensures that any issue with quality or scheduling is caught early, rather than compounding into costly delays and massive inefficiencies. OAS brings accountability back into the picture by allowing for more rigorous monitoring and faster response times when problems arise. OAS running in real-time is what lends the application to correct these problems in a collaborative and timely manner.
Mitigating Wasteful Spending
The $1.84 billion spent on modernizing the four decommissioned cruisers is a textbook example of how the lack of oversight and poor planning can lead to wasteful spending. The GAO found that the modernization efforts were poorly coordinated, with funds allocated to upgrades that ultimately did not extend the life of the ships.
OAS can prevent such waste by offering more streamlined and efficient processes for evaluating project needs. Through OAS, contractors and defense agencies can quickly assess the viability of a project and its expected ROI (Return on Investment). This is made possible by OAS's robust data analytics, which allow for better forecasting and more accurate cost-benefit analyses.
Moreover, OAS enhances the military’s ability to make informed decisions in real-time, allowing it to avoid investing in projects that are likely to fail. The system ensures that funds are only allocated to projects with a clear, achievable path to completion, reducing the risk of wasteful spending.
Improving Schedule Delays
Schedule delays are another significant issue highlighted in the GAO report. When modernization projects take longer than expected, they disrupt the entire supply chain and increase costs. In the case of the Navy’s cruisers, this resulted in the premature decommissioning of four ships.
OAS can help mitigate schedule delays through its advanced scheduling and project tracking features. By automating many aspects of the project management process, OAS enables project teams to better predict timelines and allocate resources. This real-time tracking allows for quicker identification of potential delays, empowering decision-makers to implement corrective actions before delays become widespread.
Ensuring Better Communication and Coordination
One of the biggest challenges facing U.S. shipbuilding projects is the lack of coordination between contractors, military personnel, and suppliers. The result is a fragmented and disjointed system where critical information often gets lost or delayed, leading to costly errors and inefficiencies.
With OAS, communication is streamlined across all levels of the supply chain. OAS allows for seamless collaboration between all parties, ensuring that everyone—from design teams to subcontractors—are on the same page. This enhanced coordination helps prevent miscommunications that could lead to cost overruns or delays. OAS provides a level of connectivity and collaboration that ensures nothing slips through the cracks. It’s a game-changer for large-scale projects.
A Path Toward Reform
The recent revelations about waste and inefficiency in U.S. shipbuilding should serve as a wake-up call for military procurement practices. However, with the right tools, these issues can be addressed. Open Acquisition System (OAS) offers a solution that tackles the root causes of inefficiency—poor planning, lack of oversight, wasteful spending, and communication breakdowns.
By implementing OAS, the U.S. Navy and other military branches can move toward more accountable, transparent, and cost-effective procurement processes. If adopted across the defense sector, OAS would be the key to modernizing not only the Navy's aging fleet but the entire defense industry’s approach to large-scale procurement.
The time for reform is now, and OAS is ready to lead the way.
Article Referenced
“What's Wrong with US Shipbuilding? A Top Trump Advisor Called It an 'Absolute Mess' as Musk's DOGE Eyes Military Waste.” MSN, 11 Feb. 2025, www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/what-s-wrong-with-us-shipbuilding-a-top-trump-advisor-called-it-an-absolute-mess-as-musk-s-doge-eyes-military-waste/ar-AA1yMbVo?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=7c2a0a37fecb49f48ca1a5f2fc078766&ei=51.