Acquisition Research Program at Naval Postgraduate School

In this week's newsletter: More RDER projects have been announced, bringing the total number to seven projects transitioned to the services. > These largely focus on surveillance and communications capabilities, both standalone features and others that enhance existing platforms such as the MQ-9. DISA Director Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner gave updates on the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract's performance to date, plus hints of what JWCC Next will look like. > So far, DoD has awarded $996 million in contracts on JWCC. Skinner said the process is awarding contracts within weeks of releasing a task order, but the Next phase will work to pick up the pace even more.  > Other priorities: increasing the number of companies and bringing on more capabilities like AI. A post from Phil Stiefel on LinkedIn details how DIU overcomes some of the familiar barriers interfering with DoD's ability to adopt the new tech DIU identifies.  > Challenges he describes include contract vehicle problems, color of money issues, funding gaps, and end-of-year funds issues. The Navy CIO released Information Superiority Vision 2.0. It has three pillars: optimize, secure, and decide. Research from CSIS shows how defense contractors have become more specialized in defense since the 1960s, rather than having a diversified portfolio that includes a robust mix of commercial and defense capabilities and customers. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dziFJEE #govcon #defenseinnovation #defenseindustry

Calling all small businesses and innovators! Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) DoD SBIR 24.3 & DoD STTR 24.C are NOW in Pre-Release! Head to the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) for more info. Check out our topics and get your proposals ready! https://lnkd.in/d8ZwSDa #DoDInnovates #SBIR #STTR

Congrats to our acquisition superstar! Dr. Rene G. Rendon, CFCM, CPCM, CPSM, CPSD, C.P.M., PMP is an educator, scholar, and active member of the larger acquisition community. Naval Postgraduate School students can learn so much from him.

New vision has three pillars: optimize, secure, decide. One of the focus areas: employ commercial technologies today.

This newsletter is out. This week: DoD has posted the proposed new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) regulatory language and process for contractors to comply with the new requirements. CMMC compliance will be required at time of award. Heidi Shyu's office has announced the second annual Technology Readiness Experimentation (TREX) event, to be held Aug. 19-28 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Press will be allowed at the event on August 27, so look for stories coming out in a few weeks. TREX supports the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) initiative with tactical scenario demonstrations. The next tranche of Replicator capabilities will include Anduril's large displacement unmanned undersea vessel (Dive-LD). Anduril has made news for betting big on industrial capacity, with a factory in Rhode Island underway to make more of this UUV and the recently announced megafactory Arsenal-1, intended to be capable of producing "tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles and weapons." The Space Force is continuing work with international partners to craft a strategy aimed at strengthening the space supply chain. Our top story looks at how two recent contracts show improvement at how DoD procures new technology, with this unsurprising revelation: success at getting new tech into the hands of warfighters requires understanding of military needs, the technology itself, AND the acquisition process. And in ARP news, we're excited to share news of a collaboration between students in the Department of Defense Management and the Navy's Force Resilience Office. Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/dziFJEE #govcon #procurement #defenseinnovation #defenseindustry

Op-ed from Bill LaPlante outlining some successes of the Competitive Advantage Pathfinders, which have cut time to fielding new capabilities, especially for CJADC2. "A crucial advantage of CAPs is to adapt a technology capability used by one service and migrate it to another service without requiring a new program or budget cycle." Two examples: "CAPs enabled the Air Force to go from identifying operational need to developing a capability solution available for procurement within 18 months — a process usually taking several years for a new program. Additionally, a similar electronic warfare pathfinder has enabled the Army to potentially skip the development stage by leveraging a pre-existing Navy capability with minimal hardware and software changes." Great to see these success stories! Read more below. 👇

In this week's newsletter: the Commission on the National Defense Strategy released its report, arguing that DoD, as well as the larger national security apparatus, is under-resourced and too bureaucratic to meet current threats and multiple potential war theaters. Yesterday the Senate Appropriations Committee passed the FY 2025 defense spending bill, with a topline of $852.2 billion. The DoD Inspector General announced plans to evaluate the #Replicator initiative, particularly "the effectiveness with which the Services and Defense Innovation Unit selected capabilities to meet the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s operational needs.” The Navy is standing up a new maritime industrial base program office focused on construction and sustainment. And in Air Force news, Secretary Frank Kendall announced this week that the NGAD is officially paused. In contrast, momentum continues on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, with five companies selected to build the autonomy system. This is in addition to the two companies, Anduril and General Atomics, earlier selected to build prototypes of the aircraft itself. Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/dziFJEE #govcon #procurement #defenseindustry #defenseinnovation #research

This team's thesis shares clear insights into what contracting actions are most correlated with trafficking in persons, along with actionable recommendations. Great to see it influencing larger conversations!

Lt. Cmdr. Adam Johnson graduates in September with a degree in Defense Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management. He recently participated in the Innovation in Action Student Showcase on campus, where he found that the challenges driving his research project were shared by two Coast Guard officers he met that day. "This connection underscored the importance of knowing that we are not alone in facing these issues. Events like the student showcase are vital as they foster a sense of camaraderie and collaboration among students and faculty across different services and academic disciplines. "By connecting with others, we can share insights, support each other, and collectively work toward solving complex problems, setting a strong foundation for innovation and mutual support in our military and academic careers." Thanks to Naval Postgraduate School Foundation & Alumni Association for hosting this event connecting incoming students with those in the final stages of their degree programs at NPS. Connection drives #innovation! https://lnkd.in/gb56u9hG Acquisition Research Program at Naval Postgraduate School Naval Warfare Studies Institute at Naval Postgraduate School

One of the lines of effort from the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting on July 28: The United States and Japan further accelerated work on co-production, co-development, and co-sustainment to advance innovation, strengthen their industrial bases, promote resilient and reliable supply chains, and invest in the strategic industries of the future. > The Ministers heralded the recent convening of the Forum on Defense Industry Cooperation, Acquisition, and Sustainment (DICAS), as well as its working groups on missile co-production, ship repair, aircraft repair, and supply chain resilience. > The Ministers welcomed high-priority efforts to pursue mutually beneficial co-production opportunities to expand production capacity of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), in order to meet critical demands for such advanced systems, address timely procurement and readiness requirements, and deter aggression. > The Ministers supported Japan's revision of its Three Principles on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology and its Implementation Guidelines, which supports efforts to leverage both countries' respective industrial bases to meet the demand for critical capabilities. https://lnkd.in/gmeUAw9N