Accountability and authority in project management
Here’s an interesting discussion from economist and entrepreneur Arnold Kling: Accountability and authority ought to be proportional to one another. If you have authority without […]
Blog Posts
Can government programs move fast and take risks again? The Corona story.
There’s an excellent documentary called “The Corona Story – A Point in Time,” on the CIA’s Corona satellite reconnaissance program. It was was a truly […]
Deep tech development strategies and imperatives for DoD reform
Here is AJ Piplica, CEO of the hypersonic vehicles company Hermeus, on the Venture Stories podcast discussing the importance of generating revenue ahead of the […]
Acquisition headlines (7/11 – 7/17/2022)
Army acquisition exec pushes for joint JADC2 office, large-scale exercise. (Breaking Defense) “Doug Bush, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, […]
Defense industry consolidation geared up well before the “Last Supper”
The end of the Cold War and the “Last Supper,” where defense officials actively encouraged mergers between contracts, are often credited with the major consolidation […]
The Trojan Horse: Wrapping software in metal to make the sale to DoD
Here is Trae Stephens, partner at Founder’s Fund, talking with Vago Muradian on the Defense and Aerospace Podcast. We found that selling software was incredibly […]
What could be the impact of reducing industry’s progress payment rates?
Circling back to Director of Defense Pricing and Contracting John Tenaglia’s talk at the Pricing Summit, he mentioned one of the big questions he often […]
There’s better AI/ML in John Deere tractors than in any U.S. military vehicle
Here’s Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey giving a compelling talk at the All In Summit in Miami: The US military is well behind the Chinese People’s […]
Acquisition headlines (7/4 – 7/10/2022)
AT&T, 26 other companies join Air Force’s $950 million JADC2 effort. (C4ISRNET) “The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, multiple-award contract was done through Air Force Life […]
Is DoD wasting the creative resources of the country by dictating solutions?
Here is David Soergel, an industry consultant testifying to Congress in the 1975 hearing, “Major Systems Acquisition.” Sometimes new technology can offer solutions to problems […]
What are some of the fears contracting officers have that prevent speed?
As we wrap up out highlights from the Government Contracting Pricing Summit, here’s a couple good parts from an address made by David Cade, Vice […]
China’s weapons acquisition cycle 5-6x faster than the United States — “We are going to lose” if we don’t change
I would tell you anecdotally that China is still, after gains we’ve made in the last five years or so, about five to six times […]
Inflation expectations and the impact on defense contractors
Here’s Director of Defense Pricing and Contracting John Tenaglia at giving a keynote address at the Pricing Summit: At the heart of the memo is […]
Acquisition headlines (6/27 – 7/3/2022)
Google bets big on government business with new division. (FCW) “Announced Tuesday, Google Public Sector represents the culmination of years of effort the commercial tech […]
Great accomplishments do not the result from careful cost-effectiveness analysis
Here’s Admiral Hyman Rickover in “Cost Effectiveness Studies,” Excerpt from testimony May 11, 1966, hearings “Department of Defense Appropriations for 1967, Subcommittee on Department of […]