House and Senate lawmakers have agreed to legislation that would bar the Pentagon from naming private-sector "lead systems integrators" to lead the development of major weapon systems, a contracting practice the Defense Department has favored in complex programs including the Army's marquee modernization effort -- the Future Combat System. The conference report of the fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill includes a provision -- section 802 -- that would prohibit the Defense Department from awarding new contracts for lead systems...
