The Pentagon's procurement directorate is beginning its next annual review of its acquisition of services policy and oversight.

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA -- Air Combat Command has undertaken a number of policy and procedure reviews in an attempt to free up cash and give airmen more time to focus on their duties and training, a top service general told Inside the Air Force this week.

The charter for the new Marine Corps force structure review, an internal document marked "for official use only," warns that budget cuts will drive reductions in the service's end strength, equipment and modernization.

The Defense Department's procurement shop is fed up with program managers routinely failing to include enough details in strategy documents for technology development and acquisition programs, according to an internal memo obtained by Inside the Pentagon.

The Pentagon claims it would be "infeasible and not advisable" to establish baselines to track and measure operating and support costs that could account for up to 70 percent of most weapon systems' life-cycle costs, according to a "for official use only" report to Congress reviewed by Inside the Pentagon.

The Pentagon's acquisition directorate has canceled plans to hold a discussion this week with the defense industry about the department's ongoing efficiencies initiative.

Shay Assad, the Pentagon's director of defense procurement and acquisition policy, is urging the armed services to follow acquisition rules when handling contracts tied to congressional earmarks.

Several defense agencies are scheduled to undergo independent procurement management reviews next year as the Defense Department conducts a major top-down efficiency initiative and focuses on contracting issues.

A general involved in the Army's capability portfolio reviews fleshed out the process for defense industry executives at a conference last week and explained that the service might begin shortening its planning time frames and become more agile by acquiring less materiel, but more often.

As the Pentagon's budget begins to flatten, multiservice joint programs could translate into savings in some areas, but are not the be-all, end-all solution for cutting costs, the Air Force's top programmer said this week.

The Defense Department's acquisition office wants to develop an online toolkit to help streamline the acquisition process for warfighters in the field and to quickly and efficiently get them the items they need.

A top defense acquisition official told Congress last week the Pentagon intends to increase competition in contracts and provide efficiency incentives to industry as part of its developing strategy to dramatically cut overhead costs.

The Defense Department lacks the information and guidance needed to manage and reduce operating and support costs for major weapon systems, according to a report released this week by the Government Accountability Office.

Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's No. 2 acquisition official, is slated to chair a meeting next week on dozens of major procurement programs, including troubled efforts to counter missiles and mines that threaten Army helicopters and Navy ships.

The reconfiguration of the Pentagon's cost assessment office has presented several significant challenges, including a large backlog of certifications for major defense acquisition programs and a staff ill-equipped to deal with new requirements, according to documents and officials.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed classified guidance for the fiscal year 2012 budget process after trimming out mandates he deemed excessive.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will convene a major meeting of senior defense and military leaders this week to discuss his ongoing push for savings across the department and is in the midst of revamping long-awaited key guidance for the fiscal year 2012 budget process, Inside the Pentagon has learned.

The Army failed to reach a fiscal year 2009 competitive contracting goal set by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and such factors as disaster relief, military actions and statutory requirements could limit the service's ability to move much beyond current levels, according to a top Army official.

Defense Department acquisition chief Ashton Carter's newly unveiled blueprint for eliminating inefficiencies in the $400 billion that DOD spends annually on contracts for weapons, products and services faces skepticism in industry, cheers and complaints from former defense officials and doubts from a government watchdog who argues DOD cost saving goals are not even close to what they should be.

A plan to standardize how the Defense Department awards all its competitive contracts, deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually, has been significantly delayed, Inside the Pentagon has learned.