Acquisition headlines
CVN-78 completed a record 167 aircraft launches & recoveries in a single day. “For comparisons, the existing Nimitz-class with its steam catapults can sustain 120/240 […]
Month: May 2020
Why carriers are not doomed
Last time, I discussed the first problem in killing a carrier, that of finding it. That alone is a challenge, but the problems for the […]
A deal with the devil to reform defense budgets
It’s not just prices and wages that are sticky, budgets are too. The Council on Foreign Relations points out that U.S. nominal defense budgets hardly ever fall. […]
Should government perform 30 percent of development in-house?
My distinguished colleague from New Mexico, Mr. Runnels, asked the Defense witness, “Who made this decision to put it-the level of R. & D. to […]
Podcasts, Blogs, and Newsletters I like for acquisition and otherwise
Podcasts I like: S&T Voices from DARPA (restarting production) US Army CCDC’s In the Lab Air Force Research Lab’s Lab Life Acquisition & Contracting Air […]
Rickover explains why government has so many meetings and reviews
The recent DSARC review of the Navy’s reprogramming request of $23 million for the turbine-electric drive submarine is a typical example… Why then did it […]
Rapid organizations need to hand-pick their teams
From a cultural perspective, the bloated program offices reporting to large bureaucracies of functional and headquarters offices stifling creativity and innovation while attempting to deliver […]
Acquisition headlines
Marines are finally about to receive their first new pistol in 35 years. “The M18 will replace the Beretta M9 that the Corps adopted in […]
Navy tries to bring enterprise IT up to the “state of the shelf”
Over the past several decades, the size and duration of contractors for services, particularly in the areas of information technology (IT) and networking, have increased […]
Beijing’s innovation strategy
Compared to other advanced economies, Beijing invests shockingly little in fundamental S&T or cutting-edge capabilities. This is true in both the civilian and the military […]
Defense budgets are “sticky” in the near term
In a letter to committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and ranking member Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the Democrats, most of whom are in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, urged the panel’s […]
Inducing contractors to maximize within a budget constraint
During World War II, there was more to accomplish than there were resources at hand. The attitude of contractors was, “How much can we do […]
F-35’s ALIS software updates, indecision, culture clash
To be cleared for flight, F-35 policy states that an aircraft must be electronically “complete” in ALIS [autonomic logistics information system], meaning that all of […]
OTAs twice as big as SBIRs, but how are they being used?
In 2018 and 2019, $11.4 billion was spent through [Other Transactions Authority] OTAs, over twice as much as was spent on [Small Business Innovation Research] […]
Acquisition headlines
Roper Sees High-Low Mix for Hypersonic Missiles. A slice: “We could carry more of them on a bomber, but we also could carry them on […]