Is GPS a legacy platform that requires disruption?
Commanders in the field have increasingly been slapping DoD with “joint urgent operational needs” for equipment that does not need to rely on GPS because […]
Blog Posts
How will Air Force and Space Force labs and test centers be organized?
David Deptula: Which parts of the Air Force acquisition organization do you see migrating to the Space Force? And are there any organizations that will […]
What’s the best way to control spiraling weapons sustainment costs?
A draft version of the National Defense Authorization Act the House Armed Services Committee will begin debating this week includes a provision requiring DoD to develop a […]
How AFWERX transitions tech with Chris Benson, Steve Lauver, and Jason Rathje
Three of the co-founders of the Air Force Ventures program at AFWERX joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss how they transition startups […]
Acquisition headlines
ABMS moves ahead with second round of contract awards. Adds 18 companies to 28 previously selected to compete for ABMS work. That sounds like a […]
Neglect of small business at the start of WWII
… little actual headway was made in 1940, primarily because the Army and Navy field procurement officers had been sharply reminded, in the course of […]
More wish list items for space systems acquisition
In contrast to tanks, ships, and planes, a disproportionate share of the life-cycle cost in space acquisition is in the research and development phase. Indeed, […]
Submarine production, union contracts, and lock-in effects
Mr McMahon (staffer): Because of the multiyear contract that the Virginia-class is under, if the second FY21 boat is not authorized and appropriated, the shipbuilders […]
Bringing the frozen middle along with you
It takes a teams-of-teams that’s cross functional in nature. In very broad terms, Apple is always the classic example. There’s Steve Wosniak and Steve Jobs. […]
How often do incumbent contractors win the recompete?
Companies business projections — their pipeline for future business — is based on 100% certainty that we’re going to win the same work again and […]
Gen. Goldfein on interacting with Congress and the Industrial Base
You can’t skip the step of getting the data right because data is the currency of future operations. This is a tough conversation to have, […]
Acquisition headlines
R&D head Mike Griffin & deputy Lisa Porter resign. “I have never seen two political appointees leave together to pursue the same opportunity, but if […]
Are Boeing’s engineering woes due to financialization?
For about 80 years, Boeing basically functioned as an association of engineers. Its executives held patents, designed wings, spoke the language of engineering and safety […]
Special Event: Virtual Session on Budget Reform (Jun. 29 @ 1pm EST)
Please join me and Matt MacGregor for a virtual session hosted by the NatSecGirlSquad on the topic of budget reform. Here’s a quick synopsis: The […]
Defense budget reform in Senate’s draft FY21 NDAA
The bill pays particular attention to how the Pentagon manages its substantial budget and implements numerous provisions designed to streamline work, expand the ability of […]