What’s the proper role of the Chief of Naval Operations?
Here is a good piece on the organizational design of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations from Admiral Hyman Rickover’s 1974 speech, The […]
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Why aren’t more acquisition offices run like Naval Reactors?
The Navy’s success since the 1950s in procuring and safely operating scores of nuclear-powered ships and in developing a succession of reactor designs using fuel […]
Podcast: Science & Technology for national security with Lisa Porter
Lisa Porter joined Jordan Schneider and I for a discussion about Science & Technology (S&T) in the national security arena. She is co-president of LogiQ, […]
When can DoD get by without competitive prototyping?
Pierre Sprey testifies before Congress in a 1971 hearing “Weapon Systems Acquisition Process.” … if we cannot afford to execute a program under competitive prototype […]
Should government own the technical baseline?
GFE — which is government furnished equipment — many times has a negative connotation to it. You would think that anytime the government is furnishing […]
Podcast: Big questions in defense acquisition with Col. Bryon McClain
I was pleased to speak with Colonel Bryon McClain on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss the biggest questions facing the defense acquisition system. He […]
Will the military aviation industry get nationalized? A battle for the industry’s future
“If our industrial base collapses any more, we’ll have to nationalize advanced aviation and maybe other parts of the Air Force that currently are competitive,” […]
Rapid organizations need to hand-pick their teams
From a cultural perspective, the bloated program offices reporting to large bureaucracies of functional and headquarters offices stifling creativity and innovation while attempting to deliver […]
New policy may put the breaks on rapid acquisition
USD(A&S), however, can still disapprove any MTA [Middle Tier Acquisition] program, whether major or non-major. With advisers from all around the Office of the Secretary […]
$25K per flying hour cost target unlikely for the F-35
The Pentagon is holding to its F-35A sustainment target cost of $25,000 per flying hour by fiscal year 2025, despite multiple internal assessments that argue the […]
What worked in Germany’s WWII Air Force?
Here is Admiral Rickover providing insight into innovative organizations: Admiral RICKOVER. This group is responsible for the design, the development, and the construction and operation […]