Acquisition
Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby tours training centers during the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) Summit at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), Danville, Virginia, April 29, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Vanessa White)
Acquisition Reform, at a Crossroads
Julia Gledhill, Stimson Center
This analysis from the Stimson Center examines recent efforts to reform the defense acquisition system, drawing parallels to changes made in the 1990s. The author argues that sweeping deregulation, driven by executive orders and proposed legislation like the FoRGED Act, risks reducing competition and increasing costs for taxpayers by weakening requirements for contractors to disclose pricing information.
- Weakened Oversight: Reforms from the 1990s significantly weakened the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA) by increasing the mandatory disclosure threshold for certified cost or pricing data. The definition of "commercial" products was also hollowed out under FASA, allowing items "of a type" similar to commercial to bypass certified cost data requirements, even if never sold to the public.
- Questionable Outcomes: Despite claims that acquisition reform will build military-industrial capacity, studies show contractors have increased cash to shareholders while decreasing investment in capital and R&D. Reforms from the 1990s ultimately failed to achieve their stated goal of increased efficiency.
Hegseth orders restrictions on DOD contracting for IT consulting and management services
Jon Harper, DefenseScoop
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has issued a new directive aimed at restricting the Department of Defense's use of external IT consulting and management service contracts. This action is part of a push to in-source more IT expertise at DOD.
Moving faster, sharing risk: How the Army wants to accelerate FLRAA helo program
Ashley Roque, Breaking Defense
The U.S. Army is speeding up the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program, aiming to significantly reduce the gap between when prototypes are delivered and when production of the Bell V-280 Valor can begin. This accelerated timeline involves a deliberate strategy of moving directly into production and a commitment from both the Army and manufacturer Bell to share the inherent risks associated with this faster pace.
Innovation
US Navy photo
Navy Wants to Do Away with White Smoke in Warzones
Stew Magnuson, National Defense
The United States Navy is researching ways to eliminate the visible white smoke trails produced by missile launches and other weaponry, a signature that makes ships and forces easily detectable from vast distances.
- Visible Problem: White exhaust trails from traditional cast composite propellants are a significant issue because they can be seen from space. The trails point back to ships and forces, negating the benefits of stealth platforms and reducing survivability.
- Energetics Solution: The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division is exploring new energetic technologies, ingredients, and formulations to reduce the large white trail.
- Legacy Integration: The Navy intends to find creative ways to utilize this new technology with legacy weapon systems already in their magazines.
Company Develops Robotic ‘Vending Machine’ for Aircraft Parts
Allyson Park, National Defense
Machina Labs has developed an advanced robotic manufacturing technology designed to function as a "vending machine" for producing critical aircraft repair parts on demand.
- Mission Readiness: The platform's main capability is sheet forming, deforming flat sheet metal into desired shapes used for aircraft repair. This technology directly tackles the challenge of maintaining legacy defense systems, where years-long delays in acquiring specific parts can hurt mission readiness.
- Parts On-Demand: The vision is for the system to be a "vending machine" for parts. Once a part design is qualified, a technician can simply load material and click a button to manufacture it instantly.
Defense & Strategy
U.S. Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, gives a keynote speech during the SOF Week 2025 conference in Tampa Bay, Florida, on May 6, 2025. Tech. Sgt. Marleah Miller / U.S. Special Operations Command
Special operations are becoming the Pentagon’s future ‘normal’
Patrick Tucker, Defense One
U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) are increasingly viewed as a model for the wider military, influencing everything from operational speed to technology acquisition, despite concerns about over-reliance and neglecting their key irregular warfare capabilities.
- Acquisition Reform: SOF's approach to buying gear – using alternative contracts, buying off-the-shelf, and rapid experimentation – is being promoted as a model for the broader Pentagon acquisition system.
The Pentagon’s cyber malaise: Zero trust deadlines translate to zero urgency
Lucian Niemeyer and Tatyana Bolton, Defense Scoop
DOD faces a significant challenge with implementing Zero Trust cyber protections for its operational technology (OT), critical assets that underpin military power projection. Despite confirmed adversary targeting of these systems today, the Pentagon has proposed a distant "soft" deadline of 2035 or beyond, which critics argue signals unpreparedness and invites further attacks.
Industry
The unmanned surface vessel (USV) Ranger from Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One (USVDIV-1) returns to its homeport, Naval Base Ventura County, in Port Hueneme, California, concluding Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 23.2, Jan. 15, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Electronics Technician 2nd Class Gavin McKenna)
Navy to brief industry on plans for new robotic ship program
Jon Harper, Defense Scoop
The Navy is preparing to brief industry on its plans for a new unmanned surface vessel (USV) program, dubbed Future USV, designed to carry containerized payloads. This initiative is a key part of the Navy's strategy to rapidly expand warfighting capacity, enhance stealth by keeping sailors out of harm's way, and strengthen deterrence, particularly in regions like the Indo-Pacific.
Special Notice: Future Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) Industry Day
Strengthening Allied Defense Cooperation
MITRE
This policy brief from MITRE argues for legislative and policy changes to bolster the US defense industrial base by deepening cooperation with allies.
- Workforce Silos: A primary bottleneck hindering integration is the DoD acquisition workforce’s limited visibility into allied investments and capabilities and a lack of structured engagement with international counterparts.
- Regulatory Barriers: Cumbersome regulations like the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) processes significantly impede defense trade and disincentivize allied participation.
- Institutionalize Engagement: Policy updates must mandate systematic inclusion of allied capability assessments in acquisition planning and formalize collaboration mechanisms.
- Legislative Action: To achieve sustained progress towards a truly interoperable allied industrial base, policy updates must be codified through legislative directives like the NDAA and amendments to the Arms Export Control Act.
Research
PO2 Tamara Vaughn/U.S. Navy via DVIDS
Identifying Pathways for U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation with Northeast Asian Allies
Henry H. Carroll and Cynthia R. Cook, Center for Strategic and International Studies
This paper explores potential solutions for the U.S. Navy's significant shipbuilding challenges, particularly in the face of China's growing naval power. Various pathways for industrial cooperation exist, but each involves significant trade-offs, regulatory obstacles, and the need to carefully balance reliance on allies with investment in the domestic industrial base.
This research was also presented earlier this month at the NPS 22nd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium and Innovation Summit. Visit ARP's Defense Acquisition Innovation Repository (DAIR) to view the paper and slides and explore other the symposium proceedings.
A Balancing Act: Towards a Conceptual Framework for the Governance of Buyer-Supplier Relationships in Defence Supply Chains
Olger Pedersen, Marianne Jahre, Andreas Norrman
This paper explores the complex dynamics of managing relationships between defense organizations and commercial suppliers across different levels of security, from peace to war. It emphasizes that logistics preparedness is crucial, moving beyond a simple peacetime/wartime approach to include a distinct preparedness phase.
Lessons from the War in Ukraine for Space: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Conflicts
Andrew Radin, Khrystyna Holynska, et al., RAND
This report from RAND examines the critical and often disrupted role space services like SATCOM, PNT, and ISR have played in the war in Ukraine. The conflict demonstrated both the significant value commercial assets bring to warfighting and the inherent vulnerabilities of relying on them.
Waiting to Win: The FMS Accountability Gap
Lisa Saum-Manning, RAND
Lisa Saum-Manning testified before Congress on the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. A crucial tool for transferring defense capabilities to international partners with sales totaling approximately $118 billion in FY24, FMS is significantly hindered by its inherent complexity and scattered authorities. This results in delays in delivering critical defense systems, potentially weakening partner confidence and creating opportunities for adversaries.
Events
Spring 2025 Naval AI Summit
10-12 June 2025
Naval Postgraduate School
Virtual
AI Acquisition Bootcamp
11 June 2025
Virtual
DLA Supply Chain Alliance Conference & Exhibition
11-12 June 2025
Richmond, VA
Future Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) Industry Day
17 June 2025
Washington, DC
Training & Simulation Industry Symposium (TSIS) 2025
17-18 June 2025
Orlando, FL
Advanced Manufacturing for Defense
24-25 June 2025
Los Angeles, CA
MTO Spark Tank
24-25 July 2025
Aurora, CO
MODSIM World 2025
18-20 August 2025
Norfolk, VA
2025 Emerging Technologies for Defense
27-29 August 2025
Washington, DC
I/ITSEC 2025: Optimizing Training: Ensuring Operational Dominance
1-4 December 2025
Orlando, FL
One more thing...
The USS F-1's wreck, seen in a photogrammetric reconstruction drawn from several photos taken of it. Image by Zoe Daheron, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Expedition captures the first ever images of the wreck of a World War I submarine
Nicholas Slayton, Task & Purpose
A recent deep-sea expedition has successfully captured the first detailed images and video of the USS F-1, a World War I U.S. Navy submarine that sank after a collision in 1917 off California, providing an unprecedented look at the "relatively intact" wreck located nearly 400 meters below the surface.
- Historic Visit: While the wreck was initially located by sonar in 1975 during a search for a downed aircraft and noted as intact, this recent effort represents the first time archaeologists have physically visited the site to conduct extensive photography and filming, providing the most detailed look yet.
- Early Sub: Commissioned in 1912 (originally USS Carp), the 143-foot USS F-1 served as part of the Pacific Torpedo Flotilla. It operated during a period of significant challenges for early submarines, notably holding a world record for deep diving (86 meters) despite experiencing issues earlier in its service.
- Collision Tragedy: The F-1 was lost on December 17, 1917, during a maneuver exercise off San Diego when it collided with the USS F-3. The impact breached the F-1, causing it to flood and sink rapidly within seconds. The accident resulted in the loss of 19 out of its 24 crew members.
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