GOP-linked group urges Congress to slash red tape on Pentagon acquisitions |
GOP-linked group urges Congress to slash red tape on Pentagon acquisitions
A GOP-linked group is urging Congress to slash red tape on the Pentagon’s defense acquisition process, a restructuring aimed at prioritizing shorter timelines for delivery, expanding the industrial base and boosting capacity.
The new report from Polaris National Security, which was first shared with The Hill, argues that the acquisition process should be predicated on speed, more competition on the market and adaptation to quickly arm the U.S. warfighter and dodge the slow procurement process seen as an obstacle by the Trump administration.
“A system built for slow, exquisite platforms and a narrow industrial base is poorly suited for an era of great-power competition, mass production, and rapid adaptation,” Polaris National Security said in the 25-page report, writing that the U.S.’s “greatest” strategic advantage is its private-sector innovation umbrella of venture capital, startups and commercial firms.
The report builds on previous work at the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed legacy contractors to produce weapons faster, introduced accountability for delays and sought to foster competition among firms competing for Defense Department (DOD) contracts.
“We need acquisition and industry to be as strong and fast as our war fighters,” Hegseth said during a November speech to industry leaders and military officials at the National War College in Washington, D.C. “The Warfighting Acquisition System will dramatically shorten timelines, improve and expand the defense industrial base, boost competition and empower acquisition officials to take risks and make trade-offs.”
“We’re leaving the old, failed process behind, and will instead embrace a new agile and results-oriented approach that used to take sometimes — when you add it up with requirements — three to eight years, we believe can happen within a year,” Hegseth added.
The speech followed President Trump’s executive order “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base,” which said that the U.S. has to deliver “state‐of‐the‐art capabilities at speed and scale through a comprehensive overhaul of this system.”
The report is recommending 10 changes, including codifying a “Commercial-First” mandate within Title 10 to force executives and officers to send written justifications before opting for non-commercial solutions. It also recommends refomring the use of advance market commitments and creating a single “Commercial Pathway” acquisition lane.
“Congress can institute a pilot program to track progress and ensure accountability. The point is to remove structural friction that makes commercial firms walk away: uncertain timelines, shifting requirements, and compliance demands that assume a legacy prime,” the authors wrote.
The report also advocates for mandating that market research be conducted before beginning new programs, forming “Commercial Integration Program” offices to help integrate technology into military units, systems and networks and connecting career advancement to speedy delivery of products.
“Done right, this doesn’t mean reckless shortcuts; it rewards leaders who manage risk intelligently, ship capability early, and improve through iteration rather than waiting for perfection,” the report said. “When reputational incentives align with fielding outcomes, the bureaucracy stops treating speed as a slogan and instead as a professional standard.”
Cale Brown, the chair of Polaris National Security, said the U.S. defense acquisition system has “needed an overhaul for decades, but today the consequences of inaction are impossible to ignore.”
“Marginal tweaks to a model that rewards slow timelines, rising costs, and a narrow set of incumbents simply won’t cut it. Meanwhile, the most dynamic engine of innovation in the world—America’s private sector—remains largely untapped,” Cale, a retired Army Col., told The Hill. “Congress should act now to drive real reform and unleash the full breadth of American innovation to meet today’s threats. We cannot afford to enter the next major conflict with a defense industrial base built for a bygone era.”
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