Requirements, budgeting, and acquisition in the 16th Air Force
Here’s an interesting discussion on an Aerospace Nation episode with David Deptula and Commander of the 16th Air Force Lt Gen Timothy Haugh. The 16th […]
Management
Roper’s vision for digital acquisition: The tech stack, the edge, and digital engineering
Getting a lot of play is Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper’s article, “Take the Red Pill: The New Digital Acquisition Reality.” Some of that […]
Take-aways from the updated DoD Directive 5000.01
Overall, DoDD 5000.01 went from 10 pages to 16, though two of those are for a table of contents. In terms of word count, it […]
CSAF says ‘Accelerate Change or Lose,’ but can he follow through?
… we must reframe platform-centric debates to focus instead on capabilities to execute the mission relative to our adversaries. Programs that once held promise, but […]
Commercial solutions openings as a path to continuous competition
A CSO-type general solicitation advances two core concepts: modular contracting and merit-based decision-making… Modular contracting is a proven strategy. IT projects that follow the strategy […]
What’s holding DIU back from scaling technologies?
“We’re not moving in government at an agile pace that reflects the nature of the competition. It’s about speed,” the DIU director said. “When we […]
Beyond budgeting — breaking a 100 year industrial model
… budgeting takes a lot of time. Ford Motor Company once estimated that its planning and budgeting process cost around $1.2 billion a year. And […]
The demise of the Pentagon’s Chief Management Officer?
The reality of the last 20 years where the Department has tried to have an independent third-silo be that Chief Management Officer and whatever it […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]