Podcast: Revamping the way we think about defense with Steve Blank
Steve Blank joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss the urgency of defense innovation in a world of authoritarian peer competitors. Steve is […]
Month: June 2020
Acquisition headlines
Pentagon reshuffles R&D priorities. “We’ve made a lot of progress in hypersonics,” said Mark Lewis, director of defense research and engineering for modernization. “We love […]
We can have competition in the most expensive weapons
I think it is terribly important, that the Department of Defense always have the option to buy something else… they should keep their options open… […]
Senate looks to block divestments in airpower, and more
Here is a brief overview of the actions the Senate’s current version of the NDAA would take if passed today: Block any cuts to the […]
Applying Boyd’s OODA loop to shipbuilding
Making a single decision, and then repeatedly cycling through deciding what to do next, is essential. In contrast to the traditional warship acquisition framework, which […]
NASA sets a model using high-level requirements and letting private companies innovate
The cost-saving success of @Commercial_Crew is based on @NASA establishing high-level requirements and letting private companies innovate. For the Artemis Moon base, NASA will establish […]
Is the time right for the Pentagon to lean in on Blockchain?
… the Advancing Blockchain Act directs the Federal Trade Commission and the Commerce Secretary to collaboratively investigate the decentralized, distributed ledger technology over the next two […]
Without rivalrous competition, we are gullible as to what weapon systems work
Just as our distant ancestors were too gullible (factually, if not strategically) about their sources of knowledge on the physical world around them, we today […]
Acquisition headlines (5/31/2020 – 6/6/2020)
SpaceX and US Army sign deal to test Starlink broadband for military use. “… the Army and SpaceX signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement […]
Army Research Lab investigates cloak of invisibility
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has taken an interest in research by the University of Missouri into crafting cloak-like structures that can steer mechanical […]
Has bargaining power flipped from government to contractor?
… the government paid for much of the industry’s equipment and physical plant, normally a private-sector responsibility. Thus, during the Korean War, taxpayers financed more […]
What Elon Musk would do over in the Starship design
Irene Klotz: In hindsight, if you were doing this all over again is there anything you would’ve done to make the path shorter? Elon Musk: […]
The legal side of procurement with Alexander Canizares
Alexander Canizares joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss the legal side of the acquisition system. He is a senior counsel at Perkins-Coie, […]
DoD systems hacked in 4 minutes by outsiders and the DevSecOps open-source effort to remedy it
The entire PlatformONE stack and entire DevSecOps stack is based on open source software. I think there were two different stories. Some companies saw open […]
Massive ABMS contract to an unknown 5-person firm [UPDATED]
Under the $950,000,000 award ceiling, Hellebore will support the maturation, demonstration, and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains to enable Joint All Domain Command […]