What economics and entrepreneurship can teach us about the acquisition process
Here are excerpts from a great lecture by Israel Kirzner on Economics and Entrepreneurship which focuses on economists Ludwig Von Mises and Friedrich Hayek. While […]
requirements
Can you pass the “Ships Test?” Issues of defense requirements
Here’s an interesting slice of Lockheed Martin’s Inside Skunk Works podcast on something called the “ships” test: The bottom line is don’t add rules that […]
Podcast: USD R&E priorities for defense tech with Heidi Shyu
At the 2022 GMU-DAU annual conference, the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD R&E) Heidi Shyu joined us to discuss her priorities, approaches, […]
Is French military procurement more efficient because politics stays out?
The Rand Corporation’s Thomas McNaugher, for example, has long rejected the economists’ common assertion that the root of the acquisition problem is found in a […]
The mismatch between acquisition and resourcing, 5000.1 and PPBE
Here’s a slice from “The DSARC and PPBS decision making process within DOD” by Goral, Frank Ivan. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, Dec 1979. Remember, […]
Three reasons military programs shouldn’t start with requirements
Here’s a slice from Ron Westrum’s excellent book, Sidewinder: Missile Development at China Lake, citing Bill McLean’s arguments against the “requirements” process. As you read, remember […]
Costs, requirements, and the development of the jet engine
Here’s an excerpt from Robert Perry’s 1967 paper, “Innovation and Military Requirements: A Comparative Study.” In it, he finds that one of the inventors of […]
Federal contractors don’t know which decade they’re in for software development — “We’ve got to change the game”
Here’s slices from a good discussion at the Aspen Security Forum with LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and chief of naval research Admiral Lorin Selby. Hoffman […]
The Trojan Horse: Wrapping software in metal to make the sale to DoD
Here is Trae Stephens, partner at Founder’s Fund, talking with Vago Muradian on the Defense and Aerospace Podcast. We found that selling software was incredibly […]
DoD Chief Software Officer leaves post, outlines acquisition challenges
Here is Jason Weiss, the DoD’s first Chief Software Officer, talking with Jared Serbu on the On DoD podcast. Weiss recently left his post after […]
DoD needs to rebuild competency in hypersonic flight test
We need to move rapidly toward weaponization of hypersonics. We have already demonstrated that we have the technical understanding to address both the challenges of […]
Podcast: Opening programs to modularity and iteration
In this special episode of the Acquisition Talk podcast, we listen into an event that explores how defense programs can harness modern development practices. Center […]
Podcast: Commercial space, venture, and DoD with Jordan Noone and Jenna Bryant
I was pleased to have Jordan Noone and Jenna Bryant on the Acquisition Talk podcast to talk about how commercial companies in space and deep […]
Event: Securing the MRAP
My colleague James Hasik recently published his newest book, Securing the MRAP: Lessons Learned in Marketing and Military Procurement. In this episode of the Acquisition […]
The state of defense acquisition as 2021 draws to a close
Previously, I discussed the messaging from the Reagan National Defense Forum that “Time is running out with Silicon Valley.” It was intimated that major acquisition […]