Rumsfeld seeks to scale back 'burdensome' reports

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has established a sweeping set of legislative goals for fiscal 2007 focused on scaling back congressional reporting requirements and eliminating other laws he blames for slowing down how the Pentagon does its business.

In an Oct. 13 memorandum obtained by CongressDaily, Rumsfeld instructs Defense Department officials to push for changes in "obsolete" laws and work with Congress to draft legislation giving the department greater flexibility to buy its weapons and manage its fighting force.

"The war on terrorism continually highlights areas that necessitate new legislation, and we must act accordingly," Rumsfeld wrote. "Now is not the time to reflect, but to press on."

The two-page memo, whose existence was first reported by InsideDefense.com, has not been circulated widely on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have advocated an overhaul of the Pentagon's acquisition system amid mounting concerns about skyrocketing costs and long development delays for weapons systems.

Rumsfeld addressed many congressional concerns in the memo, which lists controlling cost overruns and speeding system development among his top goals. But the secretary's calls to reduce "burdensome, extraneous congressional reporting requirements" likely will draw criticism from lawmakers, even those intent on streamlining bureaucratic processes.

At a public hearing last month, Senate Armed Services ranking member Carl Levin, D-Mich., observed that the department does not comply with its own procurement policies. The whole system "cries out for oversight," he said.

Meanwhile, Armed Services Airland Subcommittee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., has drafted an amendment to the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill that would toughen congressional oversight requirements. Senate leaders have not yet set a date to resume debate on that legislation, which stalled in late July after less than a week of debate.

Rumsfeld's memo directs military and civilian leaders to work with Congress to gain greater authority to transfer funds between defense accounts to pay for urgent needs. Rumsfeld also wants more leeway to restructure the military -- including "eliminating organizational redundancies" -- to make the forces better able to combat current threats. Finally, Rumsfeld states that he wants to foster better inter-agency partnerships "to prosecute the global war on terror and secure the homeland."