Delegate to Innovate: Why Acquisition Reform Alone Can't Fix Military Innovation (And How to Succeed Anyway) : Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments , August 11 , 2026
August 11, 2026
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
From the report: "The slow pace of American military innovation presents an urgent problem for U.S. policymakers. China seeks the upper hand in the global balance of power, yet the United States still takes roughly twice as long as China to field new military capabilities. In view of this reality, President Donald Trump issued an executive order stating: “Our defense acquisition system does not provide the speed and flexibility our Armed Forces need…. To strengthen our military edge, America must deliver state-of-the-art capabilities at speed and scale through a comprehensive overhaul of this system.”
In accordance with the executive order, in November 2025 the Department of Defense (DoD) published a trio of documents that laid out a new approach to defense acquisition, including a capstone Acquisition Transformation Strategy. These directives mandate substantial changes to the way DoD does its acquisition business, including attention-grabbing moves such as eliminating the traditional requirements process and replacing system-focused program executive offices with capability portfolios managed by portfolio acquisition executives."
Authors - Clare, Thane C.Subjects
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