Thornberry Releases Bills to Reform DOD Acquisition and “4th Estate”

Washington, DC, April 17, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Mac Thornberry, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (R-TX), today released the text of two proposals to reform the Department of Defense. The first proposal advances the Committee’s efforts to reform how the Department of Defense buys goods and services. The second aims to speed decision making and enhance agility by reforming 28 quasi-independent agencies within DOD that are part of what is known as the “4th Estate.” Both proposals can be found here.

Rep. Mac Thornberry, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (R-TX), today released the text of two proposals to reform the Department of Defense. The first proposal advances the Committee's efforts to reform how the Department of Defense buys goods and services. The second aims to speed decision making and enhance agility by reforming 28 quasi-independent agencies within DOD that are part of what is known as the "4th Estate." Both proposals can be found here.

As with past DOD reform proposals, Chairman Thornberry is releasing these two discussion drafts to elicit public comment ahead of the Committee's consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2019.

Releasing the proposals, Chairman Thornberry said:

"After years of asking our troops to do more with less, and watching our military readiness erode as a consequence, Congress stepped up and gave our troops the resources to begin to restore our strength. Our work does not end when we cut a check. Now, more than ever, we have an obligation to make sure that these funds are used as efficiently and effectively as possible. These reforms will involve tough choices, but we owe it to the troops and taxpayers to rebuild a force that is more agile and more capable than the force we have today."