Defense acquisition: nimble enough to handle information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI)?

Jan. 7, 2020
Bill Greenwalt is former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial policy and a longtime Republican acquisition expert in Congress.

WASHINGTON – Another year gone, and if there is one solid prediction to be made for 2020 it is that questions will be raised about the effectiveness of the defense acquisition system and debate will continue over what types of “reforms” are needed. Breaking Defense reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

7 Jan. 2020 -- One of the most critical challenges facing the U.S. is whether the acquisition process is nimble enough to adjust to the continuous and rapid advancements in information technology (IT) -- today manifesting itself in the promises of artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy, robotics, and data analytics.

In the waning months of 2019 there were a number of acquisition reform anniversaries that went largely unnoticed and unrecognized. Each was significant in the development of our current acquisition system’s approach to previous rounds of IT innovation.

The results of these efforts were mixed and offer lessons learned as the U.S. begins to compete with a China that has embraced civil-military fusion of its industrial base readily and has few of the acquisition process challenges that the Pentagon faces.

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Related: U.S. Special Operations Command releases virtual symposium that outlines technology areas for investment

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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