Defense Department Shoppers Search for New Ways to Buy

Trying to get a handle on skyrocketing defense costs and failures in schedule and performance has been a boutique industry for think tanks and independent defense analysts. In fact, in 2005, when the Defense Department sponsored the Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment, the report noted, "Over many years, 128 studies have been done to address perceived problems with the system and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Historically, we observed that cost and schedule instability have been a problem in all system acquisitions since the Civil War." Current estimates put the number at more than 150 studies, panels, commissions, reports, and related efforts that have been devoted to acquisition improvement.

Still, problems persist. But Trump is on the job now. "It is the policy of the United States to create the most agile, effective, and efficient procurement system possible.  Removing undue barriers, such as unnecessary regulations, while simultaneously allowing for the expansion of the national and defense industrial bases is paramount," Trump's executive order reads. To that end, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is fulfilling the president's wishes, starting with the US Army, "to implement a comprehensive transformation strategy, streamline its force structure, eliminate wasteful spending, reform the acquisition process, modernize inefficient defense contracts, and overcome parochial interests to rebuild our Army, restore the warrior ethos, and reestablish deterrence." Other military services might want to take note.

Tackling the Procurement Process

If accomplished, the tasks outlined in the reform directive will achieve an efficient procurement process, with Hegseth taking bold action to eliminate bureaucratic and process-paralyzing requirements. In 2002, the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development Systems (JCIDS) was designed to establish a system that would reconcile and prioritize battlefield requirements. What started as a simple concept to ensure warfighters had the exact weapon system needed turned into a three-decade-long uncontrolled bureaucratic monstrosity. JCIDS was time-consuming, stifled innovation, and proved unable to meet time constraints. On Aug. 20, Hegseth and Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg issued a joint memorandum eliminating JCIDS as a functional process in the Pentagon.

Additionally, Congress has taken a keen interest. In a RealClear Defense reposting of a Federal News Network article, the author asserted, “The backers, the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, say they’re aiming for a wholesale replacement of the DOD acquisition system.” Furthermore, Congress wants a “more empowered acquisition workforce, a willingness to fail fast, and a more diversified defense industrial base.”

Consequently, when the president and the secretary of defense issue direction from the highest administration level, and Congress is on board, it is a trifecta. There is a better chance than ever before that something promising will result. Delivering innovative, effective weapon systems to soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Guardians promptly has been a decades-long challenge. The stars may be aligning for reform – who knows?

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