RETIREMENT OF MR. MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 125
(Extensions of Remarks - July 24, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E981-E982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RETIREMENT OF MR. MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
______
HON. JOE COURTNEY
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today, on behalf of myself and
the members of the House Committee on Armed Services, to congratulate
and celebrate Mr. Michael J. Sullivan, the Director of Defense Weapon
System Acquisitions for the Government Accountability Office (GAO), on
the occasion of his retirement after 34 years of distinguished federal
service.
Mr. Sullivan's dedication to his profession, his selfless public
service, and his role helping GAO meet its mission have exceeded
everyone's expectations. During his time at GAO, Mr. Sullivan has been
an effective thought-leader, most notably in GAO's work to expertly
identify and apply best acquisition practices for product development,
production, testing, and fielding for many of DOD's most complex,
expensive, and critical weapon system acquisitions. Over the years, Mr.
Sullivan's efforts resulted in numerous modifications and alterations
to DOD's acquisition policies, processes and implementation. Mr.
Sullivan significantly contribute to the development and enactment of
the Weapon System Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-23), which
lead to improved acquisition outcomes and effective returns on
investment of billions of dollars on behalf of the Congress and the
American taxpayer.
Mr. Sullivan testified numerous times before the House Armed Services
Committee,
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expertly representing GAO's work on high profile, complex, and
sensitive DOD acquisition programs including the F-22 Raptor, the F-35
Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, among other high-profile programs
such as the B-2 Spirit, the KC-46A tanker, the B-21 Raider, the Next
Generation Air Dominance concept, and numerous unmanned aircraft
programs such as the MQ-1, MQ-9, RQ-4, UCAV, UCLASS, and MQ-25. He
consistently delivered insightful, independent, and fact-based analyses
that informed the decision-making of the Armed Services Committee made
regarding many of DOD's largest and most complex acquisition programs
during many cycles of the Committee during formulation of annual
National Defense Authorization Acts. He has been a constant voice for
good government and a force for positive change. In addition to his
program oversight noted above, Mr. Sullivan has also been greatly
involved in reviewing issues related to science and technology
portfolio management, technology maturation and requirements
development efforts, and Department of Defense tactical aircraft force
structure planning and execution.
We all are eternally grateful for Mr. Sullivan's contributions to
oversight of national security issues and fiscal resources of the most
importance to Congress and the American taxpayer. Mr. Sullivan's
exceptional work and many accomplishments over more than three decades
are deeply valued by me, the committee, and the Congress. We sincerely
thank Mr. Sullivan and wish him the best success in all of his future
endeavors after retirement.
____________________