The Department of Defense has released a directive establishing policy, assigning responsibilities and stipulating procedures for acquiring missile defense systems by the Missile Defense Agency.
The DOD directive, which took effect Friday, designates the director of MDA as the department’s executive agent for hypersonic defense.
Issued by the DOD Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, or USD R&E, the document describes the missile defense system, or MDS, as a major defense acquisition program comprised of elements that provide command and control, sensors and weapons that contribute to the Pentagon’s missile defense and defeat capabilities.
Responsibilities of DOD Officials
Under the directive, the USD R&E should conduct an independent technical risk assessment before the product development decision, or PDD, and production decision, or PD, for MDS elements; serve as chair of the Missile Defense Executive Board or MDEB; and provide developmental test and evaluation oversight of missile defense development.
The director of MDA will serve as the milestone decision authority; provide a briefing with recommendations to the USD R&E and the USD for Acquisition or Sustainment, or USD A&S, before any acquisition decision is made; and develop a program plan to address MDS-required capabilities and operational support demands in coordination with MDEB member organizations.
The document also outlines the responsibilities of USD A&S, the director of cost assessment and program evaluation, secretaries of military departments, the head of operational test and evaluation, and principal staff assistants and DOD component heads, among other officials.
MDS Acquisition System
The directive outlines several phases of the MDS acquisition system: material solution analysis, technology development, product development, and initial production and production.
According to the document, there are “off-ramps” from the tech development and product development phases for software-intensive, limited fielding, demonstration and prototype MDS elements. Elements that are cleared to use the off-ramps do not proceed to a PD and enter the production phase.
The DOD directive also presents a decision authority matrix for hardware-intensive, software-intensive, limited fielding, demonstration and prototype MDS elements falling under the phase transition decision points: technology development decision, PDD and PD.
The document was approved by Lloyd Austin, former secretary of defense and a three-time Wash100 awardee.
