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FEDERALhearing transcript

Assessing Military Acquisition Reform: House Armed Services Committee Hearing

Original title: [H.A.S.C. No. 115-78]Assessing Military Service Acquisition Reform

January 1, 2019

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing monitors how the military is spending taxpayer funds on equipment and technology, directly impacting the speed at which the armed services can acquire new capabilities and the efficiency of defense procurement processes.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Department of Defense

The agency must implement new acquisition laws and report on their effectiveness to the committee.

Defense Contractors

Changes to acquisition laws impact how these companies bid for and fulfill government contracts.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on March 7, 2018, to evaluate the progress of recent reforms to the Department of Defense's (DOD) military system. The committee reviewed how new laws intended to increase agility and streamline procurement are being implemented by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Key Facts

  • The committee has enacted hundreds of legal changes over the previous three years to improve DOD acquisition agility.
  • Recent reforms aim to reduce statutory requirements and increase participation from commercial industry in the defense sector.
  • New authorities have been granted to support rapid prototyping and the use of 'other transaction authority' for contracting.
  • The hearing focused on whether the military services are effectively utilizing the new authorities granted by Congress.
  • The committee is considering additional legislative steps for the upcoming fiscal year's defense bill.
  • The hearing featured testimony from the Service Acquisition Executives (SAEs) of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Why It Matters

This hearing monitors how the military is spending taxpayer funds on equipment and technology, directly impacting the speed at which the armed services can acquire new capabilities and the efficiency of defense procurement processes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the goal of military acquisition reform?
The goal is to help the Department of Defense get more value for taxpayer money and improve the speed and agility of acquiring new military technology and equipment.
Who testified at this hearing?
The Service Executives from the Navy (James F. Geurts), the Army (Dr. Bruce D. Jette), and the Air Force (Dr. William Roper) provided testimony.

News Coverage

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Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Decentralization of Acquisition

The committee explicitly shifted more authority and responsibility for acquisition decisions from the central DOD level back to the individual military services.

Connected Entities

organizationDepartment of DefenseThe federal department responsible for military acquisitionMap →
personWilliam M. 'Mac' ThornberryChairman of the House Committee on Armed ServicesMap →
personDr. Bruce D. JetteAssistant Secretary of the Army, Acquisition, Logistics, and TechnologyMap →
personDr. William RoperAssistant Secretary of the Air Force for AcquisitionMap →
personJames F. GeurtsAssistant Secretary of the Navy, Research, Development, and AcquisitionMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz10
    Current news / social attention level

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