WASHINGTON — As the US House and Senate prepare to reconcile differences in their defense authorization bills, the acquisition community is closely watching how the two branches settle on acquisition reform language.
Both the House and Senate Armed Services committees included acquisition reform language in their National Defense Authorization Act bills. It's a focus the issue has not had for some time, and presents perhaps the best chance in years for a shift in the weapon procurement process — a process that senior Pentagon leadership openly talks about as too slow.
So what's driving that focus on acquisition reform in 2015? Experts point to a perfect storm of global threats, shrinking budgets and changing technologies.