The Battle over How to Save Acquisition

As expected, 2015 proved to be a big year for defense acquisition. Yes, the Marine Corps version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter achieved initial operational capability, the Navy laid the keel for the its newest aircraft carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy, the Air Force awarded a contract to build the first new bomber in 30 years, and the Army awarded a contract for its next tactical vehicle, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). What made 2015 a big year for acquisition, however, was not just this new hardware but some new software—namely, the flurry of statutory changes and new provisions included in the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Taken together, these legislative changes represent the largest single package of acquisition legislation since the landmark Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994.

Andrew Philip Hunter