Hegseth to slash red tape, empower program heads in acquisition revamp
By Stephen Losey
Nov 7, 2025, 06:03 PM
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday laid out a wide-ranging suite of changes to the military’s troubled and sluggish acquisition process, intended to speed up the pace at which the Pentagon buys new weapons and other systems.
“We will rebuild the defense industrial base into a new arsenal of freedom,” Hegseth said in a speech at the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington.
Speaking before defense industry leaders, Hegseth outlined his intention to do away with the existing Defense Acquisition System — the process by which the department acquires and fields new systems — and replace it with a new Warfighting Acquisition System, focusing on moving quickly and addressing threats jointly, across all services.
“We need acquisition and industry to be as strong and fast as our warfighters,” Hegseth said. “The Warfighting Acquisition System will dramatically shorten timelines, improve and expand the defense industrial base, boost competition and empower acquisition officials to take risks and make tradeoffs.”
https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2025/11/07/hegseth-to-slash-red-tape-empower-program-heads-in-acquisition-revamp/
