Science and Technology

The thought of consolidating laboratories was not new. Over the last decade, this idea had grown out of the Packard Commission 's blue-ribbon study (begun in 1985) that looked at ways to operate the Department of Defense (DOD) in a more efficient and economical manner. David Packard, a formerundersecretary of defense, headed a high-level team of investigatorsthat focused on four core areas that were candidates for change: national security planning and budgeting, military organization and command, acquisition organization and procedures, and government-industry accountability. Packard 's final report, A Quest for Excellence (released in June 1986), proposed sweeping reforms, including substantial personnelreductions, to improve efficiency and save money in DOD. President Ronald Reagan directed implementation of the Packard Commission 's recommendations in National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 219, issued on 1 April 1986. The model acquisition-reform plan called for the establishment of "strong centralized policies through highly decentralized managementstructures."