Hi ho, Hi ho its off to work I go.
Dick, as a business man you must know the answer to your own question from experience.
1. Navy, D of Defense not defining the requirement in absolutes at a given date/ time.
2. Government not over-sighting /defining the requirements in absolutes complete with late delivery/ failure to deliver penalties.
3.Tradition of 'mates' between Aust & US defense organisations and the ease and gullibility of the Aust. side in defense contracts procurement. (Political interferance and no 'guts'.)
4.As mentioned by others, many faceless people with no experience in business, handling millions/billions of dollars with no real accountability. What we have to understand here is that when the relationship of cause-effect is broken, then stuffing a billion dollar deal is no different to stuffing a one hundred dollar deal. We see this played out day after day by the CEOs of corporate Australia and other public and political figures. Take Peter Beaty and the Queensland Government as a political example and the corporate examples are everywhere.
5.So, no real accountability. ie No REAL consequences for failure. By real consequences I mean bankruptcy, gaol, destitution, or death.
6. Precedent-happens all the time.
So, as you know, the answer is simple and there is nothing you and I can do about it. Its a tragedy of democracy.
Care to come up with another system?
BP