An uncertain future for Middle-Tier of Acquisition
Here’s a couple slices from an interesting Breaking Defense article on Middle-Tier of Acquisition (MTA) pathway for rapid prototyping and rapid fielding. First, what’s going […]
Matt MacGregor
Podcast: What it takes in acquisition to deter China
A new paper from MITRE takes an end-to-end look at how military strategy gets translated into the types of weapon systems actually bought through the […]
HASC Chairman: defense acquisition is hard!
The chairman of the House Armed Services committee today passionately pushed back on the idea that wasteful spending on defense systems is the result of […]
How DoD’s innovation fund can avoid becoming a slush fund
Back in March, Matt MacGregor and I wrote an article with the provocative title, A bridge fund won’t solve the Pentagon’s emerging tech problem. While […]
Podcast: Next steps in acquisition reform with Dan Ward, Pete Modigliani, and Matt MacGregor
I was pleased to have an impressive trio from MITRE join me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss the future of acquisition reform. Dan […]
Tweet of the week: Defense modernization fail
Summed up into a single #miltwitter meme. @AcqTalk @PeteModi @thedanward pic.twitter.com/Z5FaPYJ35O — The Merge (@MergeNewsletter) May 12, 2021 I like that thread because it highlights […]
Podcast: PPBE Reform Panel 1 — Key Recommendations
For the first time in more than 50 years, a serious discussion is emerging on the foundations of defense budgeting and oversight. The “valley of […]
Make 2021 the year of defense budget reform!
Three excellent reports addressing defense budget reform were released between February 25 and March 8, 2021: Competing in Time: Ensuring Capability Advantage and Mission Success […]
A bridge fund can’t solve the Pentagon’s emerging tech problem
Matt MacGregor and I published an article in Defense News outlining five reasons that a bridge fund or prototyping fund won’t solve DoD’s valley of […]
PPBE reform event: an imperative for winning the great power competition
… in my mind, I equate planning and budgeting and consider the terms almost synonymous, the budget being simply a quantitative expression of operating plans. […]
How can the Pentagon escape its Soviet-style acquisition system?
DoD’s FY21 President’s Budget Request organizes major weapon systems via nine Mission Area Categories (MACs), which can also be viewed as Strategic Capabilities (Figure 4). These provide […]
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 […]