The U.S. private sector innovates like no other. American companies quickly adapt to changing market demands, develop and integrate new technologies at scale, deliver products with exceptional speed and compete to win. This dynamic environment has become the benchmark of success in the modern world, but sadly and needlessly, it is often foreign terrain for the U.S. military.
At the center of the problem is the Defense Department’s antiquated acquisition system, which is hindering our military’s ability to acquire emerging technologies at the speed we need. The system, overseen by Congress and built decades ago, is entangled in a web of bureaucracy and outdated processes. That lack of agility is inhibiting our service members from having and using the superior technology that American companies are pioneering.
Bridging the gap between the private sector and the Pentagon is a crucial national security challenge that lies at the heart of the Defense Innovation Board, which I chair in partnership with other leaders in business, technology and the military.
Over the past year, I’ve spoken with a number of acquisition officers and civilians in the U.S. military. They know the problems better than anyone, yet they have surprisingly limited authority over their budgets and portfolios.
For instance: If they see a need for an AI-enabled data management platform, they might request to move money from one under-performing capability to that new, critical system. But then they wait for approval to proceed. And wait.