> That all the procedural barriers the US sets up in an effort to prevent corruption tend to run up the costs. Similarly, one of the leaders in the U.S. defens

> That all the procedural barriers the US sets up in an effort to prevent corruption tend to run up the costs. Similarly, one of the leaders in the U.S. defense industry, former Lockheed CEO Norm Augustine, recently had this to say: Q. I often hear people blame procurement regulations for preventing communication between government and industry, but then I’m told there’s actually less communication happening than is even permitted by law. Do you find that to be the case? Is the problem the regulation or people’s understanding of the regulation? A. ... Clearly the regulations are very controlling, ... everybody wants to be very, very careful on both sides. So you sort of build walls that weren't intended. It’s unfortunate, and I think [it] handicaps our system. At the same, time you don't want to have conflicts of interest. Having seen the Defense Department from both sides, and [while] I have my own complaints about the acquisition process, it’s 99.9 percent honest. I can't say that about everything I've seen in federal, state and local levels but the Defense Department by and large is honest. We don't want to lose that. So maybe part of the price to pay is to have this barrier that we live with.