Pentagon And Congress Risk Bungling Drive To Modernize U.S. Military
Bryan Clark
In the two years since America’s National Defense Strategy heralded the return of great power competition, military leaders have called for U.S. forces to rapidly adopt new technologies ranging from hypersonic missiles and directed energy weapons to artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles. Outside of special operations, however, the Pentagon’s post-Cold War track record of fielding cutting-edge gear is, at best, uneven. The Army Future Combat System, Navy’s Ford-class aircraft carrier, and the Air Force KC-46 Tanker are just a few recent examples where technological hurdles slowed or stopped introduction of a new program service leaders considered essential to stay ahead of adversaries.
Congress attempted during the last several years to help DoD field new technologies by delegating more authorities to military services, creating new rapid acquisition processes, and reorganizing DoD’s oversight offices. The longer view of defense committee leaders compared to their uniformed or civilian counterparts seems to have borne fruit in the form of faster buying authorities that bypass the Pentagon’s derided requirements development process.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanclark/2020/07/08/pentagon-and-congress-risk-bungling-drive-to-modernize-us-military/#5f21c3443fb0
