Former modernization official says DOD 'optimized for fairness,' not speed

摘要

The Defense Department needs to overhaul its acquisition system if it wants to outpace China in cutting-edge weapons development, according to a former Pentagon modernization official. Mark Lewis, formerly the acting deputy under secretary of defense for research and engineering, now runs the new Emerging Technologies Institute at the National Defense Industrial Association. In a recent interview with Inside Defense, Lewis said DOD's aging system is not well-positioned to compete with China, which is investing significant resources in new technologies, including artificial intelligence. The current system is "optimized for fairness, it's not optimized for speed or efficiency," he said. "And so, as you try to meet this threat from China, as you try to move quickly, you've got these constraints." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on July 14 said the adoption of artificial intelligence will require new processes across DOD, including acquisition reform. "Emerging technologies must be central to our strategic development," he said. "We need to tackle our culture of risk aversion. We need to smarten up our sluggish pace of acquisition. And we need to more vigorously recruit talented people, not scare them away."