AGILE ACQUISITION
low-rate initial production in just four years. In compar- ison, this typically takes six to 10 years on the major capability acquisition pathway. The first 26 of 350 vehi- cles were delivered in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024.
• Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft: The MTA rapid proto- typing pathway allowed the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program to streamline requirements processes and documentation and to conduct significant risk-reduction efforts before a Milestone B decision. It already has shaved a year off the program and may allow the aircraft to be fielded in 2030, which will save almost four years.
The OTA enables acquisition at speed, providing a f lexi- ble business tool that is exempt from the standard regulatory requirements governing traditional procurement contracts. Tis increases speed and flexibility and is particularly useful for work- ing with nontraditional defense contractors to rapidly procure prototypes and demonstrate potential capabilities.
In fiscal year 2023, the Army awarded 1,767 OTA agreements valued at more than $6.9 billion. OTAs allowed the Army to shave seven months off the time to award a contract for many programs, and were particularly useful during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congress also provided the Army with RAA, which enables the Army to quickly acquire and deploy capabilities in response to urgent operational needs.
A good example of how useful the RAA can be is the Coyote Interceptor program, which uses unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, as a counter-UAS system. After the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Iranian proxies in several areas began attacking American Soldiers with drone systems. Te Army used RAA to order hundreds of Coyote Interceptors and started securing these systems less than 30 days after receiving authorization to move ahead. Motivated acquisition profession- als used the new authorities to acquire systems at the speed of relevance.
CONCLUSION New acquisition authorities are also being used to improve the strength, resilience and ability to produce at scale for our indus- trial base.
Congress included temporary authorities in support of Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel. Tese temporary authorities, which are set to
8 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2024
expire on Sept. 30, 2028, allow DOD to waive statutory limita- tions associated with undefinitized contract actions, and waive certified cost and pricing data requirements for covered contracts. Tese flexibilities have been critical in helping the Army move quickly to deliver capabilities in response to the conflict in Ukraine and to replenish U.S. stocks.
To date, the Army has used these authorities more than 70 times, which has reduced procurement action lead time by an average of three to six months.
Tis helped to more than double domestic production of 155 mm artillery rounds and will result in the ability to produce approx- imately 100,000 155 mm rounds per month in fiscal year 2026. Tis approach has been used to boost production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets, Bradley Armored Personnel Vehicles and other systems.
Another change involved increased use of multiyear procure- ments (MYP), which are generally preferred by industry because they provide revenue stability.
Additionally, as a result of our response to Ukraine, Congress modified the base MYP statute to include “industrial base stabil- ity” as another reason to enter into an MYP contract, giving us more flexibility to use MYP authority. Tis means DOD can now enter into an MYP contract based on the anticipation that it either will result in significant cost savings, or will result in necessary defense industrial base stability. Tis is an incen- tive to industry to add capacity, which enhances our ability to produce at scale.
As you can see, the Army continues to evolve to ensure that our warfighters have a decisive edge on the battlefield today and in the future. We are working in partnership with industry, academia and DOD to ensure we will meet this challenge—enabling both acquisition at speed and production at scale.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
