The Gansler Commission investigated the contingency contracting crisis in 2007, named after its chair, Jacques S. Gansler, a former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. In August, then United States Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, established the independent Commission on Army Acquisition and Program Management in Expeditionary Operations to review recent operations and provide recommendations.[1] This commission released what became known as the Gansler Report in October 2007.[2] Commission members include David J. Berteau, former principal deputy assistant secretary of defense (resource management & support); retired Gen. Leon Salomon, former commander, Army Materiel Command; retired Gen. David M. Maddox, former commander, U.S. Army Europe; retired Rear Adm. David R. Oliver Jr., former director, Office of Management and Budget, Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq; and George T. Singley III, former DoD deputy director, research and engineering.
When the Gansler Report was released on 31 October 2007, Dr. Gansler identified three key findings: not enough people, too little training, and an antiquated contracting system.[9] This report did not address any suspected criminal cases being investigated internally within the Army and the Justice Department. Although the media recognized this effort as the broadest examination of the problems to date with potentially the most far-reaching recommendations for fixes, Congressional lawmakers were still concerned that the Army took too long in one of their recommendations, that of creating a special contracting corps, one that Congress authorized a few years prior.[10]
The commission outlined four areas as critical to future success:[9]