As DoD readies new commercial space strategies, industry frets funding gap
When it comes to leveraging commercial space tech, one analyst said, "The old adage holds — show me your budget and I’ll show you your priorities."
To help supply chain challenge, DoD should revive Second Sourcing in defense acquisition
The need to strengthen supply chains is creating an opportunity for the revival of second sourcing, a method used until the 1990s to secure defense supply chains, write Olivia Letts and Jerry McGinn.
Venture capitalists, tech firms beg defense secretary to speed up innovation
Executives controlling almost $100 billion in assets co-signed a letter to Sec. Lloyd Austin, urging him to adopt acquisition reforms put forward by an independent Atlantic Council commission.
Pentagon officials, industry leaders lay out 3 secrets for speedier software
“We can’t do our best work unless we’re involved a lot earlier,” said Mandy Long, CEO of BigBear.ai.
Keep moving or die: Army will overhaul network for rapid maneuver in big wars
The Army has nixed future "Capability Set" upgrade packages for brigade networks in favor of smaller, more frequent updates, with the most complex technology reserved for division and corps HQs.
‘Like Netflix’: After slow start, Army aims to ‘drastically’ accelerate software updates
Today, just nine of the Army’s 540 acquisition programs use the streamlined Software Pathway, but senior officials told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview they aim to "exponentially" increase that number by the end of next year.
Leave the Air Force’s new acquisition proposal in the starting gate
A new proposal from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall seems helpful on its face, but Bill Greenwalt and John Ferrari of AEI see red flags in the details.
Congress should give Pentagon more flexibility in buying, budgeting, report urges
The report, co-chaired by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, encourages reforms in other parts of the government to speed up defense acquisition.
America needs to grow its capacity to produce weapons. Here’s four steps to do it.
Former Pentagon official Jerry McGinn has a prescription for America's production problems.
‘Unclear’ reporting guidance, ‘inaccurate’ data hamper Mid-Tier Acquisition oversight: GAO
The watchdog report in particular hones in on concerns about a lack of transparency in service and Pentagon component MTA programs.
Pentagon’s new management reform institute aims to learn lessons from past failures
Led by the Institute for Defense Analyses, this new entity is tasked with looking for ways to improve how the department operates and building a digital repository.
Army Reviews ALL Networks — Way Beyond WIN-T: Milley & Speer
CAPITOL HILL: The Army is conducting a wide-ranging review of “a whole series of vulnerabilities” in its communications systems that extends far beyond the troubled WIN-T program, the Chief of Staff and acting secretary told reporters today. The review will make recommendations on streamlining IT acquisition in general, not just on specific technologies, Gen. Mark […]
NGA To Offer Data To Industry For Partnerships
GEOINT: It all began over very old old Scotch at New York’s famed Explorer Club. The top two leaders of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Robert Cardillo and Susan Gordon, met with Anthony Vinci, now NGA’s director of plans and programs, to discuss ways to get more value from the agency’s incredibly valuable pools of […]
Thornberry Reform Bill Directs Pentagon to Just Buy Commercial Products Online
CAPITOL HILL: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry’s third attempt to improve how the Pentagon buys weapons aims to simplify defense procurement and cut down on waste by using commercial buying methods. It directs the Pentagon to use online marketplaces such as Grainger, OfficeMax or Staples to buy items that currently are acquired […]
DoD Wastes Billions On Outdated Technology, 809 Panel Tells HASC
The Pentagon acquisition system has gotten so bad that it is undermining the nation’s military and literally obstructing modernization efforts, a panel of independent advisers told the House Armed Services Committee today. Representatives of the congressionally-mandated “809 panel” painted an alarming picture of the state of defense procurement. The panel delivered an interim report to the […]