GAO Report: America's Crumbling Air Traffic Control Systems Put Travelers in Danger

27 Sep 2024, 19:03 by Lucas Nolan · Breitbart

The FAA is reportedly struggling to modernize its aging air traffic control (ATC) systems, putting the safety and efficiency of the national airspace at risk, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

TechSpot reports that the GAO report reveals that 37 percent of the FAA’s ATC systems are unsustainable, while another 39 percent are potentially unsustainable due to factors such as lack of parts and funding shortfalls. Alarmingly, 58 of the 105 unsustainable and potentially unsustainable systems are critical to the safety and efficiency of the national airspace.

Despite the urgent need for modernization, the FAA has been slow to update its most critical and at-risk systems. Some modernization projects are not scheduled for completion for another 10 to 13 years, while the FAA lacks plans to modernize other systems in need, three of which are at least 30 years old.

The GAO also highlighted significant gaps in accountability and oversight as the FAA proceeds with its investments. Many of the 20 investments being made are supposed to establish a cost, schedule, and performance baseline, but the FAA has been slow to do so. On average, the 11 applicable investments took 4 years and 7 months to establish their baselines, with one investment taking 6 years and 8 months. As of May 2024, two investments initiated over 6 years ago had not yet established their baselines.

Furthermore, the FAA’s acquisition oversight council has failed to ensure that investments deliver functionality in manageable segments and has not consistently monitored high risks during quarterly reviews. For three selected investments, the council reviewed some, but not all, required documentation before approving investments to proceed to the next lifecycle phase.

The GAO has made several recommendations to address these shortfalls, focusing on reducing baseline time, increasing oversight, and keeping Congress fully informed of how the FAA is mitigating risks to ATC systems. The FAA has agreed with almost all of these recommendations, and Kevin Walsh, the GAO’s director of IT and cybersecurity and an author of the report, believes the recommendations are reasonable and achievable with good faith effort on the FAA’s part.

In response to the findings, the FAA has stated that it needs $8 billion to modernize its systems. The agency has also indicated plans to address some of the recommendations, which Walsh sees as a positive sign.