By Lauren Williams May 05, 2021 While better data would help the Defense Department more effectively assess investments and risks over time, according to a watchdog official, several challenges exist. First off is the ability of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment to conduct data-driven oversight of the individual services’ weapons programs, Shelby Oakley, the director for contracting and national security acquisition for the Government Accountability Office, told the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness at an April 28 hearing. "Oversight is still important even if the services are running the show for their own programs,” she said. “DOD, as the portfolio manager of all of [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] weapon programs, has to play a role in determining what we are investing in and understanding and deciding what those risks are and where they are."