It is a reflection of the “Dream Team” in place at the Department of Defense that this morning marks a tremendous accomplishment, not seen since 1978, of putting forward the National Defense Authorization Act in record time for the President of the United States formal approval. It is a true collaborative effort by the Department of Defense and the United States Congress that was paved by bipartisanship and the focus to move our nation’s national security into a priority position.
Speed of decision making by the Department of Defense has plagued our acquisition and policy process for decades. Today marks a new precedent for the Department of Defense and sets the pace to compete to win more efficiently and effectively against near peers and threats we face around the world both today and in the future. A first ever financial audit of the Department of Defense budget is set to come out in the fall that will expose inefficient programs, duplication, and wasting of resources to further propel our nation’s ability to compete and win, for the defense and deterrence capability of the United States.
This new Pentagon leadership is creating friction in a very positive way. Challenging the old ways of doing business and making the established acquisition culture rethink and change their ways. Reducing and flattening the excessive bureaucratic vertical layers of decision making thereby enabling speed of decision that allows products to be developed, tested unimpeded by failure, and fielded exponentially quicker than the current systems of today that are becoming obsolescent in both cost and capability against near peer technology and evolution. No other better examples exist than today’s Near Peers with their Hypersonic Glude Vehicles, Maneuverable Over the Horizon Cruise Missiles, Electronic Warfare, and Space capabilities.
We look forward to the release of the Space Force Report and the Missile Defense Review that will provide guidance in policy and direction in development with plenty of time for debate and discussion for inclusion in the submission of the 2020 budget.
