Length of DoD continuing resolutions and the inefficiencies created
A continuing resolution (CR) is a temporary spending legislation that allows the Department of Defense to keep funding activities despite starting the new fiscal year […]
Blog Posts
DoD cannot wait for zero risk before scaling important technologies
One of the major ideas of defense acquisition is that programs of record shouldn’t begin until a full requirements and technical understanding has been accomplished. […]
NDAA page count has been skyrocketing, hits 4,408 pages in FY23
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the big national security policy legislation. It is separate from appropriations which provides actual funding to program authorized […]
Acquisition headlines (12/5 – 12/11/2022)
Army chooses Bell V-280 to replace its black hawk helicopters. (Defense One) “Bell received a $232 million contract on Monday—the first installment of what could […]
Impressive applications of additive manufacturing in defense
I’ve been pretty impressed with the number of application of additive manufacturing in defense. Here are 20 cool things going on from a mostly organic […]
Podcast: In the fight – Scaling AI/ML in defense with Colin Carroll
I was pleased to have Colin Carroll join me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss the acquisition of machine learning in the Department of […]
How the factory of the future can drop defense costs and schedules by 50 percent
Here’s some excepts from an excellent a16z podcast with Chris Power, founder of Hadrian which is building the software-enabled factory of the future: Chris Power: […]
Event: Funding flexibility & bridging the valley of death
If a company brings a new technology or solution to the Department of Defense, officials have few sources of funding that allow them to capitalize […]
Acquisition headlines (11/28 – 12/4/2022)
3 keys to bridging the valley of death: get involved early, cut out the middlemen and pray Congress works. (Breaking Defense) Hondo Geurts: “If you […]
USD R&E unveils a new Office of Strategic Capital
USD R&E has created a new Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), which will be led by former Acquisition Talk podcast guest Jason Rathje. Jason was […]
DoD’s hands are being tied when it comes to money
Every year, DoD is losing flexibility to put money where it matters most. DoD submits a budget with more than 1,800 program elements (PEs) for […]
Podcast: Creating innovation navigators with Sabra Horne
Sabra Horne joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discussed her new book: Creating Innovation Navigators: Achieving Mission Through Innovation. She is an executive […]
What are the profit expectations in defense R&D?
Here are some of the findings from an STTR study performed by Geoff Orazem at Federal Foundry and Gene Keselman and Kathryn Person at MIT […]
Acquisition headlines (11/21 – 11/28/2022)
The business of war is the business of deterrence. (Medium) Trae Stephens writes: “… if the Ukrainians had an arsenal of HIMARs, Howitzers, surface-to-air missiles, […]
A story on how military innovation is stifled
In a very interesting episode of the a16z podcast, Marc Andreessen talks about how society often pushes back on technology. A famous case of military […]