I would also speculate that many of these projects are subject to horrendous scope creep where accounting systems are being used for far more than just accounti

I would also speculate that many of these projects are subject to horrendous scope creep where accounting systems are being used for far more than just accounting needs. These additional requirements need to be evaluated and excluded from accounting and auditing systems if they are beyond the scope of such systems. Instead they should be rolled into other systems that have a narrower scope. For example, the posted article states: "while an impenetrable tangle of logistics and personnel systems can hinder commanders’ ability to know who and what are available for deployment." That to me sounds like scope creep. Yes, commanders need that capability, but that is not a feature that should be part of an accounting and auditing system. Of course these is somewhat relationship between a soldier being paid his wages and being available for deployment, but that is a weak relationship that is best handle via a public API for each system that other specialized defense systems can consume. I would posit that the contracting approach does nothing to prevent scope creep since most contractors participating in this system are glad to let things keep snowballing because it means more billable hours.