Here is a viral LinkedIn post from the excellent Pete Modigliani. Also, be sure to check Pete out on the Critical Update podcast speaking on the Valley of Death, and his two blog posts on the same topic [here and here].
I’ll forego the indentation…
The DoD bureaucracy is getting exposed.
The war in Ukraine is demonstrating rapid innovation and delivery at the speed of relevance.
Amid all the horrors going on in Ukraine, this is a silver lining. Why?
The U.S. defense industry is stepping up to help Ukraine defend itself. They delivered over 700 Javelins, rapidly developed a new Phoenix Ghost drone, and autonomous ships. SpaceX delivered thousands of Starlink terminals to maintain connectivity. Commercial satellite imagery provides a clear picture of Russian forces. How much of that went through the traditional Pentagon bureaucracy?
The war in Ukraine is driving innovative solutions harnessing autonomous systems and asymmetric operations. These are critical lessons to deter or win a potential conflict with China. INDOPACOM needs critical capabilities in theater yesterday. The Pentagon is horrifically slow to deliver priority solutions.
DoD needs to transform its bureaucratic JCIDS requirements process. It must abandon the myth that it can effectively define system requirements for capabilities that will be produced a decade later and operate for 30-50 years. It must harness commercial solutions and rapid, iterative releases.
DoD and Congress must transform the Soviet style, central long-term defense budget system for one that can exploit leading technologies and be responsive to the dynamic national security environment.
DoD operational commands need to commit to harnessing autonomous systems as disruptive solutions. DoD needs to invest in high quantity, low unit cost, short lifespan systems to complement the major exquisite platforms.
DoD needs to flip the acquisition model to acquire commercial solutions at scale instead of spending 15 years on planning, developing, and producing systems with mixed record of ROI and mission impact. We cannot afford to waste time with DODAF, EVM, APBs, CCA, and 30-year lifecycle cost estimates.
Thousands of companies have left the defense industry. Thousands of innovative experts have left DoD. If DoD leadership is serious about regrowing the industry and workforce, it must aggressively streamline the bureaucracy.
DoD leaders must remove the bureaucrats who are stuck in the 20th century. We cannot afford to waste time with endless reviews and documents with decisions made only by the most senior review boards. There are too many non-value added hall monitors who insert themselves into program and enterprise processes who slow or sabotage progress.
We need to lower the barriers to start many new acquisition programs via rapid prototyping and experimentation with close collaboration of leading technologists and operators. We need to empower leaders at lower levels to make timely decisions and adjust course when needed.
The Pentagon bureaucracy represents the greatest risk to our national security. The war in Ukraine is exposing many DoD flaws and offers novel approaches to rapidly deliver capabilities.
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