{"id":14336,"date":"2020-01-02T18:39:40","date_gmt":"2020-01-02T18:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/02\/too-many-cooks-in-the-dod-new-policy-may-suppress-rapid-acquisition\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:26:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:26:48","slug":"too-many-cooks-in-the-dod-new-policy-may-suppress-rapid-acquisition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2020\/01\/02\/too-many-cooks-in-the-dod-new-policy-may-suppress-rapid-acquisition\/","title":{"rendered":"Too many cooks in the DoD: New policy may suppress rapid acquisition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2015, Congress passed middle tier acquisition, or MTA, authorities for rapid prototyping and rapid fielding. Lawmakers expected detailed guidance to follow shortly after. By June 2019, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/700\/699527.pdf\" target=_blank>Government Accountability Office found<\/a> little clarity on documentation and authority. Congress reacted by threatening to withhold 75 percent of MTA funding in 2020 until the Pentagon released guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dangle the purse strings and compliance follows. The undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, or USD(A&amp;S), released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esd.whs.mil\/Portals\/54\/Documents\/DD\/issuances\/dodi\/500080p.PDF?ver=2019-12-30-095246-043\" target=_blank>Department of Defense Instruction 5000.80<\/a> on Dec. 30, 2019. The MTA guidance, however, is more likely to pump the brakes on rapid acquisition than propel it forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Programs designated \u201cmiddle tier\u201d do not have to follow regulatory processes for requirements and milestone reviews. That can shave years off a program schedule. In return, the prototype must be completed \u2014 or system fully fielded \u2014 within five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of March 2019, there were 35 middle tier programs. The term \u201cmiddle tier\u201d is perhaps misleading considering nearly half of them exceed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/10\/2302d\" target=_blank>cost thresholds<\/a> for major weapon systems \u2014 roughly $200 million for prototyping or $1 billion for fielding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many questions remained unanswered until the new policy. How big was a middle tier? What documentation does it require? What is the role of oversight and USD(A&amp;S)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Authority<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For several years, acquisition authority had been delegated down to the services. While the services only managed 48 percent of major programs in 2014, the figure grew to 90 percent in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DoDI 5000.80 reverses the trend. While the services can approve MTA for non-major programs, only USD(A&amp;S) may approve major programs. Moreover, major programs have far more entrance documentation than non-majors, including approved requirements, an acquisition strategy and a cost estimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2019\/12\/04\/a-look-at-the-armys-fvl-goals-and-the-cost-of-relevancy\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-57115714.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">A look at the Army\u2019s FVL goals, and the cost of relevancy<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Through the Future Vertical Lift program, the Army seeks over time to procure capabilities across five capability categories that will serve to modernize a rotary-wing fleet that has largely survived on upgrades to platforms that were initially developed in the 1960s and 1970s.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The services may avoid some documentation by disaggregating major systems into multiple MTA programs. For example, two of the Navy\u2019s non-major programs are components to Standard Missile-6 Block 1B. The same is true of the Air Force\u2019s Airborne Warning and Control System.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">USD(A&amp;S), however, can still disapprove any MTA program, whether major or non-major. With advisers from all around the Office of the Secretary of Defense, there will be will numerous potential veto points. Each official may extract concessions from MTA programs managed by the services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though 31 out of 35 MTA programs are rapid prototyping efforts, the undersecretary for research and engineering, or USD(R&amp;E), has been relegated to a secondary position. All MTA authority rests with USD(A&amp;S). Almost as an affront to USD(R&amp;E), he was given control over a rapid prototyping fund that Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/acquisitiontalk.com\/2019\/08\/the-rapid-prototyping-fund-is-dead-before-it-even-got-started\/\" target=\"_blank\">stopped funding<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The outcome reflects a broader weakening of USD(R&amp;E). Congress has <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingdefense.com\/2019\/12\/lawmakers-question-r-pump-mda-funding\/\" target=_blank>reacted negatively<\/a> to the undersecretary\u2019s effort to move fast and reallocate funds to higher value uses. USD(R&amp;E) may lose control of the Missile Defense Agency to USD(A&amp;S).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Documentation<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While MTA exempts programs from traditional requirements and milestone processes, documentation abounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each service must create its own requirements process with approval in six months. Joint service requirements are discouraged from using MTA pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MTA requirements, however, must still meet the needs determined by four-star generals in the Joint Chiefs of Staff and combatant commands. This may in effect bring the same approvals from the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System process back into MTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of the DoDI 5000.02 processes also apply. Still required are system analyses, sustainment plans, test strategies, cybersecurity, risk assessments, cost estimates and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3567\" height=\"2006\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lord_pentagon.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lord_pentagon.jpg.jpg 3567w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lord_pentagon.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lord_pentagon.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lord_pentagon.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lord_pentagon.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lord_pentagon.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1152 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3567px) 100vw, 3567px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen M. Lord holds a press briefing to update media on acquisition, reform and innovation, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Aug. 26, 2019. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class James K. Lee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contractors performing on MTA programs must still report cost data. No exemption was made for earned value management systems. Sidestepping many contract regulations \u2014 for example, with other transactions authorities \u2014 remains a separate process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most importantly, Congress requires detailed justification in the budget for every MTA program. That means the services must start justifying MTAs at least two years in advance of funding receipt. Many of today\u2019s MTA programs spun off existing, budgeted line items. New programs may find a hard time finding funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The present situation is reminiscent of the time David Packard attempted rapid acquisition between 1969 and 1971. A couple years later, new layers of bureaucracy descended. Similarly, MTA has built within it the seeds of another slow-paced bureaucratic order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adm. Hyman Rickover\u2019s skepticism to the reforms nearly 50 years ago rings true today. As Rickover wrote to Packard in a memo:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy experience has been that when a directive such as the one you propose is issued, most of the effort goes into the creation of additional management systems and reports and the preparation of large numbers of documents within the Service to \u2018prove\u2019 that the requirements of the directive are being met in order to justify funds for the Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo long as the bureaucracy consists of a large number of people who consider that they are properly performing their function of approval and evaluation by requiring detailed information to be submitted through the bureaucracy, program managers will never be found who can in fact effectively manage their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Eric Lofgren is an incoming research fellow at the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University. He manages a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/acquisitiontalk.com\/\" target=_blank><i>blog and podcast<\/i><\/a><i> on weapon systems acquisition. He previously served as a senior analyst at Technomics Inc., supporting the U.S. Defense Department\u2019s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New acquisition guidance release Dec. 30, 2019, is more likely to pump the brakes on rapid acquisition than propel it forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":26324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":66,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[66,160,11,36,17,19,48],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4176],"class_list":["post-14336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-newsletters","category-opinion","category-pentagon","category-the-americas"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"Y4AD5ASNCVA77EUOXRPO23PFIE","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/commentary\/2020\/01\/02\/too-many-cooks-in-the-dod-new-policy-may-suppress-rapid-acquisition\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Too many cooks in the DoD: New policy may suppress rapid acquisition - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New acquisition guidance release Dec. 30, 2019, is more likely to pump the brakes on rapid acquisition than propel it forward.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Too many cooks in the DoD: New policy may suppress rapid acquisition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New acquisition guidance release Dec. 30, 2019, is more likely to pump the brakes on rapid acquisition than propel it forward.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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