Data on DoD munitions and missile procurement: FY 2001 to FY 2023
Below are a few charts base on DoD’s procurement data from the P-1 docs FY 2001 to FY 2023. The dollars are normalized to FY […]
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The indispensable man of the Pentagon
Here’s an excerpt from Samuel Huntington’s classic 1959 book, The Soldier and the State: The principal antagonist of the Joint Chiefs within the central defense […]
How were projects selected for the APFIT fund to field innovative tech?
The Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) fund was one of the bright spots from FY 2022. It provided $100 million to […]
What is portfolio management and how can it speed up defense tech insertion
Jerry McGinn and I joined Vago Muradian on the Defense and Aerospace report to discuss our recent webinar event with James Ruocco, Katie Wheelbarger, and […]
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 […]
The defense industry and the road to nationalization
Here is a good segment from NPS Professor Judson after introducing all the process and people challenges of defense acquisition. It comes from a 1975 […]
DoD’s end-to-end budget cycle must be compressed to one year, max
Here’s a lengthy slice from the recently exited DIU director Michael Brown on the Venture Stories podcast discussing a major barrier to military innovation. I’ll […]
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 […]
Podcast: Risk taking, commercial tech, and the ARCI program with Bill Johnson
I was pleased to have Bill Johnson on the Acquisition Talk podcast to talk about how he helped bring commercial technology, open architecture, and continuous […]
Regulated industries and the divide between Silicon Valley and DC
New bank charters actually were running pretty high up until 2008, and then they dropped to zero. Whatever happened in banking reform and regulation, and […]
More reasons defense acquisition needs to consider randomness
Discussing Tim Harford’s book Messy, he tells a story of a Jazz musician Keith Jarrett who, upon a major performance was given a poor piano, […]
Podcast: Bringing startups and government together with Andrea Garrity
Andrea Garrity joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss how the government can build relationships with nontraditional companies. She is the Chief Growth […]
In the Pentagon, money takes so long it’s a death sentence for new tech
Here’s a slice of a panel discussion that includes former HASC Chair Mac Thornberry, former USD Policy Michele Flournoy, and Rep. Elaine Luria: Mac Thornberry: […]
Data: How DoD reprogramming has changed (1961 – 2019)
I talk a lot about budget portfolios and PPBE reform on this blog. Today’s excessive detail in the defense budget requires long planning timelines. By […]
GAO struggles to define oversight for the Adaptive Acquisition Framework
Here’s the General Accountability Office’s take on Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) in space systems from a recent report. Remember, MTA efforts must be rapidly […]