Testimony

Inspector General Scovel testified before Congress on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) efforts to develop and implement the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). FAA's Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) was established by law to begin advancing NextGen in the 2025 timeframe and coordinate diverse Federal research and development efforts. The Inspector General focused on three areas: (1) FAA's progress and problems with ongoing modernization projects - this is important because existing projects form the basic platforms for NextGen initiatives; (2) JPDO's progress to date in coordinating and aligning agency budgets and plans for NextGen - much work remains to achieve this and truly make the JPDO a multi - agency effort; and (3) FAA actions needed to help the JPDO shift from planning to implementation and reduce risk with NextGen - a complex, multibillion-dollar effort.