Acquisition
Special Tactics Airmen assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing secure an airfield during exercise Emerald Warrior 2024 at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, March 1, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Stephen Pulter)
SOF community puts novel acquisition strategy to the test during Accelerator challenge
Mikayla Easley, DefenseScoop
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) recently launched "Accelerator," a pioneering acquisition event designed to compress the typically multi-year defense procurement process into a single day. This initiative enables the rapid evaluation and immediate funding of mature commercial technologies to ensure critical capabilities reach warfighters in months rather than years.
- Rapid-Fire Funding: Selected companies receive an immediate $50,000 seed award and a legal contracting document on-site, allowing them to invoice the government as early as the next day.
- Battle-Ready Tech: The program bypasses nebulous ideas in favor of tangible, operational systems—such as resilient communications and drone sensor payloads—that can be fielded within six months.
- Elite Access: The event provides commercial vendors with rare, direct proximity to senior decision-makers and operators from SOCOM and CENTCOM who are empowered to say "yes" to new tech.
- Smart Bets: Leadership utilizes a "gated approach," making small, strategic investments early on to stress-test and iterate technology before committing to massive, long-term production contracts.
- Bureaucracy Buster: By involving on-site contracting officials from Army Contracting Command-Rock Island, the event eliminates the months of administrative delay that often result in the delivery of outdated technology.
- Innovation Roadmap: While currently focused on special operations, officials intend for the Accelerator format to serve as a new blueprint for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps to modernize their own acquisition pipelines
Trapped Combat Power: Excess Equipment and the Army’s Regeneration Problem
Jonathan Buckland, Modern War Institute
The U.S. Army’s buildup of idle equipment is not merely a storage issue, but a critical regeneration problem that threatens its ability to sustain high-intensity industrial warfare. Using the logistical lessons of the war in Ukraine and World War II, the article argues that true combat power relies on continuous circulation, where broken components are treated as "cores" to be repaired rather than waste to be discarded. To prepare for future mobilization, the Army should shift from a one-way disposal mindset toward a closed-loop system of regional circulation hubs and performance metrics focused on redistribution speed.
Defense & Strategy
Drone Pilot - Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Boughton pilots a drone at the Port of Gulfport, Miss., May 21, 2024. (Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Waters)
ONR Announces New 2026 Science and Technology Strategy for Navy, Marine Corps Tech Future
Department of the Navy
The Office of Naval Research has unveiled its 2026 Science and Technology Strategy, a comprehensive roadmap designed to maintain a competitive edge during a period of rapid technological change and global instability. The core of this initiative is the "FEED at Speed" framework, which emphasizes focusing on unique naval problems, improving communication with stakeholders, and bridging the gap between laboratory prototypes and fielded capabilities. By streamlining the transition of research to the fleet and leveraging artificial intelligence, the Navy aims to outpace adversaries in both invention and deployment.
Full Report: Office of Naval Research Science & Technology Strategy
Research
Airmen with the 436th Aerial Port Squadron at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware load cargo onto an aircraft. The military cargo is part of a foreign military sales agreement with the United States. (Air Force photo by Sr. Airman Christopher Quail)
Acquisition Agility in Foreign Military Sales: A Comparative Analysis of Lead Time, Competition, and Vendor Diversity in FMS vs U.S. Funded Contracts
Angela Hill, Kelsie Kautz & Misty Wilcox, Naval Postgraduate School
This study presents a comparative analysis of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and U.S.-funded Department of Defense contracts to assess how acquisition structure influences procurement lead time, competition, and vendor diversity. Using contract-level data from Fiscal Years 2019 through 2025, a matched dataset of 128 contract actions was constructed across four cohorts: FMS products, non-FMS products, FMS services, and non-FMS services. Findings indicate that FMS contracts consistently exhibit longer procurement administrative lead times (PALTs), lower rates of competition, and reduced small business participation relative to non-FMS contracts, despite operating within identical markets and contract scales. These differences persist across both product and service acquisitions, suggesting that they are driven by structural characteristics of the FMS acquisition pathway rather than market conditions. The study provides empirical evidence to inform policy and process improvements aimed at enhancing FMS acquisition agility.
Strengthening Navy Financial Accountability through Property Plant & Equipment (PP&E) Reform
Michelot Joseph, Lollita Russell & Anthony Webb, Naval Postgraduate School
This thesis examines how deficiencies in Plant, Property and Equipment (PP&E) accounting and acquisition practices affect the Department of War, specifically the Department of the Navy’s (DON) ability to achieve a clean financial audit and proposes reforms to improve audit readiness and accountability. This study adopts both quantitative and qualitative case study approaches, combining document analysis, policy review, and semi-structured interviews with experts. Using internal DON data and audit findings from FY2018–FY2024, we assess systemic deficiencies affecting weaknesses, controls, and financial processes. Our analysis evaluates workforce structure, system interoperability, and process compliance on audit outcomes. Findings show audit discrepancies mainly stem from (i) poor documentation controls, (ii) inconsistent business process application, (iii) system gaps between Navy ERP and feeder systems, and (iv) high personnel turnover. Quantitatively, process and documentation errors account for about 62% of repeat findings, with system issues accounting for 28%. Results suggest that the Navy needs targeted workforce development, system modernization, and stronger internal controls aligned with DoW FIAR priorities.
Federal Spending Mapping Tools
Carter C. Price, Katherine Obenschain, RAND
The RAND Corporation has introduced a specialized suite of Federal Spending Mapping Tools designed to trace the flow of government funds to the specific individuals, communities, and businesses that receive them. By utilizing an open-source dataset and rigorous methodology, this project offers a more precise way to evaluate the effectiveness of national policies by identifying the actual beneficiaries of federal programs.
Events
Space and Missile Defense Symposium
AFCEA
11-13 August 2026
Huntsville, AL
TechNet Augusta 2026
AFCEA
17-20 August 2026
Augusta, GA
MODSIM World 2026
National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA)
18-19 August 2026
Alexandria, VA
Fed Supernova
STATION Austin
18-20 August 2026
Austin, TX
DIB Accelerator 2026
Advanced Technology International (ATI)
25 - 27 August 2026
Philadelphia, PA
Prodacity 2026: Uncharted
Rise8
25-27 August 2026
Nashville, TN
Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference & Exhibition
NDIA
8 – 10 September 2026
Washington, DC
OCEANS 2026 Monterey
IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES)
21-24 September 2026
Monterey, CA
One more thing...
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. James Capers, Jr. at a Medal of Honor award ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., June 18, 2026. Capers earned the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam from March 31 to April 3, 1967. (U.S. Army photo by Bernardo Fuller)
Nearly 60 Years After Vietnam, James Capers' Medal of Honor Confirms What Marines Already Knew
Douglas Lindsay, Military.com
Retired Marine Major James Capers Jr. was officially awarded the Medal of Honor in June 2026, nearly six decades after his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War.
- Extraordinary Valor: Leading a nine-man Force Reconnaissance patrol, then-2nd Lt. Capers directed a four-day defense against a vastly larger North Vietnamese force while suffering from two gunshot wounds and a broken leg.
- Sacrificial Leadership: In a profound display of character, Capers twice attempted to exit a rescue helicopter so that his wounded Marines would have a better chance of survival during a difficult extraction.
- Barrier Breaker: As a pioneering officer, Capers became the first Black Marine to command a reconnaissance company, building a distinguished career focused on mentoring future generations of elite warfighters.
- Enduring Legacy: The ceremony provided national recognition of Capers bravery, but it merely confirms a reputation that has been celebrated within the Marine reconnaissance community for generations.
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