Is it time for bold changes to weapon systems? Lessons from Germany’s WWII experience
The success of the Nazi drive across Europe proved what the military of other nations had long suspected: that the complete disarmament of Germany after […]
Blog Posts
Here’s a better way for the Space Force to be financially agile
When Roper was in charge of the Strategic Capabilities Office he had the ability to move money between programs in a way that allowed him […]
JAIC director Shanahan on how to build trust with Congress
I have struggled with this at the JAIC going up to the Hill and saying, ‘You know, you’re asking for a level of detail in […]
Acquisition headlines
US Air Force says these are its options for hiring private aerial refueling companies. “The cost per flying hour for these solutions ranged from $15,000 […]
Should the DoD be picking winners and losers?
“The DoD was capable of picking winners and losers, and that’s what stopped in the 70s. A bunch of us in the startup world think […]
Agile development isn’t new to defense, it was just cast out by the “whiz kids”
It seems clear that the reciprocity of innovation and requirement is unusually important during the period when demonstrations of feasibility are being attempted. The character […]
The DoD must start contracting for excellence
To encourage modern technology development, contracts should account for development that begins with a vision and proceeds with sprints. These contracts should have quantifiable outcomes […]
The importance of sales & marketing in commercial go-to-market
Let’s say you’re at $50 million ARR [annual recurring revenue] and your peer group on average grows at 80 percent. That means your peer group […]
COVID-19 contract update and unfunded DoD costs
A major DoD concern is the unfunded costs of execution during COVID-19. Section 3610 of the CARES Act allows the government to pay its contractors […]
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 […]
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 […]