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In a bill and draft report introduced last week, Chairman Thornberry outlined his ideas for Defense Reform. The legislation is intended as a discussion draft and aims to reform the Department of Defense’s acquisition system, taking the ideas generated as provisions for the forthcoming National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Chairman Thornberry said, “We are releasing this bill one month ahead of NDAA consideration because we want to get people’s feedback. We listened to a lot of folks as we drafted this bill, and we want to hear from them again as we work to make it law. The troubled acquisition system is contributing to the loss of our military’s technological edge. I hope that by streamlining the process, improving accountability, and eliminating outdated regulations, we can start to get some of that edge back. While this bill won’t fix all that is broken, it is a solid start.”
Below, the Defense Reform Committee of the Project for the Common Defense discusses some of the finer points of the Chairman’s legislation.
The Promise and Peril of Mac Thornberry’s Defense Acquisition Reform
March 27, 2015 - War on the Rocks
Editor’s Note: This article was authored by the Defense Reform Committee of the Project for the Common Defense.
One day, “[t]he entire defense budget will purchase just one aircraft.” So predicted Norm Augustine in 1984. Lockheed Martin’s chairman and CEO further prophesied that “This aircraft will have to be shared by the Air Force and Navy three-and-a-half days each per week except for leap year, when it will be made available to the Marines for the extra day.”
We’re not there yet. But we’re on the way.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2014 was the most “complex” year for the Pentagon in almost five decades. Military leaders must contend with ever-evolving, ever changing threat environment, even as our defense acquisition system fails to deliver timely and affordable capabilities. It’s a major strategic liability.
Against this backdrop, Congressman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, this week announced a series of reforms that aim to make the defense acquisition process more “proactive, agile, transparent, and innovative.” His proposals are based on what he learned during 18 months of discussions with government and industry stakeholders. His proposals are a much-needed step in the right direction, but they are, as Rep. Thornberry admits, only the beginning of a protracted process.
Previous acquisition reform campaigns have produced a rather lackluster track record. But Thornberry’s initiative appears to be positioned for success, thanks to an unprecedented meeting of the minds between Congress and the current Department of Defense (DoD) leadership. Taking a measured, practical approach, Thornberry’s proposal tackles the fundamental workforce, bureaucratic, and innovation issues that lead to cost overruns and delivery delays.
It seeks to improve “process agility” by reducing unnecessary reporting requirements and leveraging private sector innovation. It also expands career and training opportunities for DoD acquisition professionals and gives them greater authority. The idea is that a more capable and empowered workforce will be better equipped to manage increasingly complex programs. To reduce risk, the initiative prescribes an incremental approach; further improvements will be introduced only after the real-world impacts of preceding reforms have been measured and proved to be effective. …
…Nevertheless, defense acquisition reform is necessary. As Secretary Carter stated years ago, “to maintain a technological edge, we need to align our acquisition system with commercial market forces.” Congress has an excellent opportunity to reverse the bureaucratic inclination to centralize acquisition authority and micromanage the acquisitions process. By eliminating outdated red tape, Thornberry’s proposal should also provide new opportunities for commercial companies with innovative technologies and concepts to participate in the DoD marketplace. That can help ensure the military has access to the best available technologies at the best possible price.
Ultimately, Thornberry’s reforms would allow DoD to exploit more fully the world’s leading source of innovation: the U.S. commercial technology base. Capitalizing on this resource is crucial to giving our military a technology “edge” on future battlefields.
Thornberry’s long-term initiative, as opposed to more sweeping defense acquisition reform legislation like Goldwater-Nichols, begs the question as to whether political momentum can be sustained long enough to overcome the usual barriers to wholesale reform. However, incremental reform that better aligns DoD with the defense industry and the commercial market, expands information sharing, and empowers the acquisition workforce offers a ray of hope. At least for the next two years.
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