Acquisition reform used to be just about saving money. Now it’s also about national security.
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Version 0 of 1. When Pentagon officials and members of Congress talk about acquisition reform, they usually cite the billions wasted on canceled programs, the stifling bureaucracy that stretches out timelines, the fraud. But now the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer is adding another concern to the list: national security. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday, Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said threats to the country’s long-held military superiority is another reason the Defense Department needs to get better at buying weapons and services, particularly when technology is involved. “I am very concerned about the increasing risk of the loss of U.S. technological superiority,” he said. “We’re at risk, and the situation is getting worse.” While the United States had been at war for more than a decade, potential adversaries have been catching up by investing in their own systems, in some cases surpassing U.S. capabilities, he said. Kendall said he was “alarmed” at intelligence reports showing the rate at which the Chinese and the Russians are modernizing their military, saying it “is a serious problem for the country.” “Even if war with the U.S. is unlikely or unintended, it is quite obvious to me that the foreign investments I see in military modernization have the objective of enabling the countries concerned to deter and defeat a regional intervention by the U.S. military,” he said. The U.S. led the “revolution” in precision missiles, making them more lethal and accurate. “But now it’s being emulated by others,” he said. “Without saying too much about this, the Chinese in particular and, to a lesser extent, the Russians are going beyond what we have done.” Despite recent budget cuts and the drawdown of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States still spends far more on defense than any other country. But China’s defense budget has grown significantly in recent years, raising concerns. Kendall’s comments came during the first formal hearing of the committee with Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) as chairman. Thornberry has made improving the way the Pentagon buys things a priority. Too often he said, “we are challenged by our own system, which is too slow, too cumbersome, too wasteful, and too frustrating for those in it and all of those who depend on it.” Read more: Why the Pentagon spent $46 billion on 12 weapons programs it never finished |