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Happy Friday!
We're closing out 2023 with all DoD nominees officially confirmed by the Senate, ending the delay wrought by Sen. Tuberville's hold.
- Included in the cause for celebration: Nick Guertin was officially sworn in as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition on December 20.
Our top story details the latest Replicator engagement, summarizing the confusion expressed by many industry members who met with Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks last week at DIU and in Silicon Valley.
- While the headline paints this confusion in a negative light, this story and other comments out this week point out that such uncertainty is to be expected of a fully new and disruptive process.
- And several industry members were pleasantly surprised that their time with Hicks was more a chance for them to demo technology than to learn more about the DoD's requirements.
- Bottom line: many questions still abound about Replicator... and most people are OK with that, for now.
In other acquisition news, Air Force acquisition head Andrew Hunter shared insights about the collaborative combat aircraft initiative is developing.
- One of the characteristics: continuous competition from multiple vendors, potentially more than the five announced last week. This goes for both hardware and software.
CRS has a new research report on defense contract pricing that considers whether DoD should gather more, less, or different information about pricing from contractors.
And our friend Todd Harrison has new analysis considering four different scenarios and their impact on federal and defense budgets for FY2024. One of those scenarios includes a yearlong continuing resolution; another the impact of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
In related news, Axios pointed out this week that the 118th Congress has passed the fewest laws by far of all other Congresses over the past two decades. Only 20 bills have been signed into law this year.
In ARP news, we bring some research from December graduates who looked at the financial benefits the Navy could attain by improving internet connectivity aboard CVN-72, Abraham Lincoln. Check out their video and read their thesis.
ARP's Principal Investigator Bob Mortlock has an article in Defense Acquisition Magazine suggesting two improvements to the Adaptive Acquisition Framework that take advantage of the potential for continued flexibility it holds both for MDAPs and for rapid fielding in the Middle Tier of Acquisition.
Next Friday the newsletter takes a break for the holidays. We'll be back with you in the New Year, on January 5.
As you celebrate, don't miss our "One More Thing" closing photo of Santa at the North Pole, in Navy style. And remember you can check in on NORAD's tracking of Santa's progress on December 24 and 25 -- online or by calling 1-877-HI NORAD.
Happy Holidays and Cheers to a New Year ahead!
This Week's Top Story
‘Disorganized and confusing’: Lawmakers, industry rip Pentagon plans for drones
Matt Berg, Politico
In August, the Pentagon announced an ambitious, two-year plan to develop thousands of drones to swarm and overwhelm China’s much larger arsenal of weapons — and do it cheaply.
Four months later, no one seems to be able to explain the plan or how the Pentagon will pay for it.
Frustrations over that lack of clarity came to a head on Tuesday, when nine leaders from tech companies and several high-ranking DOD officials, including Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, gathered for a meeting about the program at the Defense Innovation Unit base in Mountain View, California. POLITICO spoke to three people who attended the meeting.
“It’s just very disorganized and confusing,” said a tech company executive, who like others was granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting. The problem with the initiative is that it’s “not actually associated with any dollars to make things happen.”
Since the Replicator program was announced, Defense Department officials have touted it as a key component of the United States’ effort to counter China’s growing military and technological capabilities. If the initiative falters, however, the Pentagon could fall further behind on one of its most important weapons fronts.
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