A Fundamental Reform of the DoD's Broken Acquisition System
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced legislation to restructure, streamline, and modernize the Department of Defense’s (DoD) acquisition system.
The United States faces its most dangerous security environment since World War II, driven by China’s military buildup, Russia’s war in Ukraine, Iran’s proxy warfare, and North Korea’s nuclear provocations.
Our national security depends on equipping our warfighters as quickly as possible. But our acquisition system is too slow and bureaucratic to arm our servicemembers with what they need, when they need it.
Warfighters are often forced to wait more than a decade while the capabilities they need slog through the acquisition process, caught in a maze of red tape. By the time the new capabilities are finally deployed, the threat has changed, the technology is outdated, and the program is over budget.
Maintaining American deterrence and achieving President Trump’s visionary Peace through Strength agenda requires a decisive warfighting edge.
The time has come to fundamentally reform how the Department of Defense buys weapons.
The SPEED Act refocuses the defense acquisition system so that it focuses on one primary objective: equipping warfighters with needed capabilities in the quickest, most cost-effective manner practicable. The SPEED Act meets this objective by establishing a new acquisition architecture centered around five key pillars of reform:
PILLAR I. Aligning Acquisition to Warfighter Priorities and Operational Outcomes
PILLAR II. Accelerating the Requirements Process
PILLAR III. Striking the Balance Between Regulation and Efficiency
PILLAR IV: Strengthening the Defense Industrial Base and Leveraging Commercial Innovation
PILLAR V. Developing a Mission-Oriented Defense Acquisition Workforce
