An Acquisition Strategy, Process, and Organization for Innovative Systems2000

The length of time required to move a weapon system through the full sequence of events in the acquisition cycle has long been a source of concern and frustration to government and industry officials responsible for equipping the U.S. armed forces. The notion of somehow shortening the cycle duration has been a recurring theme in studies of acquisition and Department of Defense management performed by various panels and commissions. The authors argue that force modernization in the future should put considerable emphasis on the introduction of some unconventional, or "novel" system concepts. They also argue that the present acquisition process is poorly adapted to the timely definition and development of such systems and also to implement new operational concepts. The characteristics of...