Getting to the battle fastest with the mostest
A post-World War II cartoon gets to a deep truth in defense acquisition. It shows American tanks on trial, supposedly for being outgunned and relatively […]
sustainment
F-35 Program Manager says DoD must avoid past mistakes, own the technical baseline
This is perhaps the most interesting part from the April 2022 HASC hearing on F-35 sustainment. Representative Waltz asked Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, PEO for […]
Will the F-35A make it to the $25K cost per flying hour target?
The well-known goal for the US Air Force’s F-35A variant is to become affordable by meeting the $25,000 cost per flying hour (CPFH) target. We […]
Up to 50% of military R&D goes to paper, not product
Opinion on documentation requirements is divergent. Practically all non-Government respondents contrast the sparse documentation which accompanies private R. & D. programs with that provided by […]
Aircraft sustainment woes — And is the Air Force paying for Navy F-35 costs?
We found that of the 46 individual fixed- and rotary-wing types of aircraft we examined, only three met the service-established mission capable goal [80 percent] […]
Podcast: Navy shipyards and defense supply chains with Maiya Clark
Researcher Maiya Clark at the Heritage Foundation joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss her recent paper on the Navy’s public shipyards as […]
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 […]
Can the F-35 reach $25K per flying hour target by FY 2033? It depends…
It’s possible for the F-35 program to reach its target of $25,000 per flying hour, but only if there’s a substantial change… The F-35 […]
Edward Keating on weapons sustainment and CBO analyses
Edward Keating joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to talk about a wide range of issues. He is the Deputy Assistant Director for National […]
The Army’s intellectual property strategy is counterproductive
The Army recognizes the need for intellectual property [IP]… I’m going to highlight four principles for you that underpin it. The first principle is […]
High sustainment costs are not a technological fact of life
Bryan Clark: One big challenge they [the DOD] have is sustainment costs. Sustainment costs of our force — partly because it’s aging, partly because it’s […]
What causes buy-ins on production?
When people in defense talk about “buy-ins”, they are talking about a contractor who purposefully under-bids on a competitively awarded contract. Instead of expecting losses […]