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Happy Friday!
This week's top story covers the release of DoD's first-ever commercial space integration strategy, which lays out approaches to reducing barriers to using commercial space providers. The short strategy identifies four priorities:
- Ensure access to commercial space solutions across the spectrum of conflict, including ability to surge commercial capacity.
- Integrate commercial space solutions prior to crisis during peacetime activities that include wargaming, tabletop exercises, and training exercises.
- Establish secure operational space domain and mitigate risks for commercial providers through three lines of effort: norms and standards, threat information sharing, and financial protection for commercial entities.
- Support the development of new commercial space solutions for use by the Joint Force, using relevant financial, contractual, and policy tools.
There's a new FAR Part in the works! FAR Part 40 will consolidate existing (and new) policies and procedures on information security and supply chain security.
The Tradewinds marketplace is seeing some success, with 254 pitch videos deemed awardable and 28 of those pitches with contracts awarded or on the way. DoD is looking to expand this model to the acquisition of capabilities other than AI or data analytics--the current focus of Tradewinds--while still keeping a focus on emerging or new technologies.
The Navy completed the shipbuilding review ordered by SECNAV Del Toro in January. It finds that many ships are behind schedule by 1-3 years.
- Megan Eckstein's article brings remarks from Nick Guertin, ASN (RDA), who notes that many of the ships are competing with each other for capacity at the same shipyards, with the same workforce, making production more sequential than simultaneous.
- Guertin, as you probably know, will be with us in Monterey to kick off next month's symposium with his keynote address on May 8. We suspect we'll hear more about shipbuilding and the role contracting can play in designing and delivering ships on time.
This week brings two great pieces of commentary on acquisition and innovation.
- Michael Brown, Ellen Lord, and Bob Work join forces to call for an innovation adoption doctrine that includes six factors.
- These include a transition partner that will own the new capability and provide feedback during testing, a contracting vehicle that supports rapid development and fielding of a new capability, and steady funding.
- Moshe Schwartz and Brad Nathan make the case for supporting small businesses with a mentor-purchaser program that makes it easier for large defense contractors to produce at scale an innovative technology developed by a small company that may lack the ability or desire to engage in that part of the process.
Noah Robertson has written a great piece on the history and current status of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which has not met the intent of creating a budget process and investments strategically focused on deterring and responding to aggression from the People's Republic of China. It was also intended to give a voice to INDOPACOM on these budgetary decisions.
- The PDI has instead turned into an unfunded "accounting mechanism" that consolidates service-initiated initiatives relevant to the Indo-Pacific rather than driving a unified strategy.
In ARP news, the latest issue of the Journal of Contract Management features four articles written by NPS faculty or students.
- "Oral Presentations – Exploring Fitness for Use and Associated Outcomes of a Forgotten Tool" (authors include current assistant professor Dr. Jamie Porchia and former assistant professors Dr. Daniel Finkenstadt and Dr. Timothy Hawkins)
- "Professional Association Impact on Training, Academia, and Professional Development: The Case for Contract Management" (authors include associate professor Dr Rene Rendon)
- "Noise Analysis: Variability in Contract Manager Decision-Making" (authors include associate professor Dr. Rene Rendon and former student Capt. Richard Wahidi)
- "Contracting Strategies for Navy Ship Port Visit Support" (authors include professor and ARP Principal Investigator Dr. Robert Mortlock and former students LCDR Zeferino Carlos-Rodriguez, LCDR Mark Anthony Booc, and LCDR William Lynch)
And in our "One More Thing" section, check out the short article on Lou Conter, the Navy veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor who recently passed away at the age of 102. What a career!
21st Annual Acquisition Research Symposium
In person attendance is limited to the first 300 registered attendees! Register now to make sure you don't miss out on the 24 panels of thought-provoking research and leadership perspective.
Register now to join us in Monterey or online.
This Week's Top Story
New DOD strategy looks to remove barriers for using commercial space capabilities in military ops
Mikayla Easley, Defense Scoop
After years of asserting that it wants to leverage advancements in commercial space technology, the Pentagon has released a new strategy that aims to lower any barriers that prevent the department from integrating commercial capabilities into military operations.
The Department of Defense on Tuesday published its first-ever Commercial Space Integration Strategy, which calls on the department to develop mechanisms — including contracts and other agreements — that will allow for commercial-built space solutions to be used for some operations. The strategy also addresses financial and security risks that commercial companies may face when supporting the Pentagon, and potentially opens the door for the department to provide financial and military protections if necessary.
“This integration will help maintain our technological edge, deny adversaries the benefit of attacks against national security space systems, and contribute to a safe, secure, stable and sustainable space domain,” the strategy states. “This DoD Commercial Space Integration Strategy provides strategic guidance to the Department to ensure it can fully seize the available opportunities to work with commercial entities to achieve these ends.”
Leaders across the Pentagon have sought to take advantage of recent innovations in the commercial space sector, which has experienced exponential growth in technology advancements and capital in recent years. Assistant Secretary for Space Policy John Plumb emphasized that because of the fast pace at which companies can innovate, the department must remove legacy structural, procedural and cultural barriers to integrate commercial technology.
“The degree to which commercial space capabilities and services can benefit U.S. national security will ultimately be measured by how well the department can actually integrate commercial solutions into the way we operate — not just in peacetime, but in conflict,” Plumb said Tuesday during a press briefing at the Pentagon.
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