{"id":39804,"date":"2019-05-17T14:27:50","date_gmt":"2019-05-17T14:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/17\/3-takeaways-from-thornberrys-2020-dod-reform-agenda\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:03:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:03:27","slug":"3-takeaways-from-thornberrys-2020-dod-reform-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/05\/17\/3-takeaways-from-thornberrys-2020-dod-reform-agenda\/","title":{"rendered":"3 takeaways from Thornberry\u2019s 2020 DoD reform agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 After years<\/a> of pushing<\/a> new reforms<\/a> for the Pentagon, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee wants to ensure defense officials are following them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNone of this is revolutionary. I don\u2019t want to be revolutionary right now,\u201d Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, told reporters Thursday. \u201cWe\u2019ve made some substantial progress. We need to build and implement what we have done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After shepherding more than 60 acquisition reform provisions into law in recent years, Thornberry on Thursday unveiled two bills: one aimed at enforcing<\/a> previously enacted Pentagon reforms and another to foster innovation<\/a>, especially among smaller businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thornberry said he shared the legislation with HASC Chairman Adam Smith<\/a>, D-Wash., in hopes of including it in the annual defense policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act. It\u2019s been Thornberry\u2019s practice each year to publish a discussion draft of his reform legislation in advance of the HASC markup \u2014 in this case, next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the key focus areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enforcing reforms.<\/b> The Pentagon hasn\u2019t evolved to Thornberry\u2019s satisfaction on business systems, modular open architectures for major defense platforms, rapid prototyping, or assembling policy and personnel for managing intellectual property rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill would fence off various pots of Pentagon funding until the progress he\u2019s after is made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe told you to do it, we\u2019re fencing money until you actually do it,\u201d Thornberry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, last year\u2019s defense authorization law required the Pentagon save 25 percent<\/a> in so-called fourth estate<\/a>, or administrative, functions. But the Defense Department\u2019s plan, Thornberry said, is too vague and \u201cdoes not provide the road map to achieving the savings the law requires.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t