The Defense Contract Management Agency has rolled out a new five-year strategy designed to overhaul DCMA’s operations and align its goals with those of the Department of War and presidential directives. DCMA published the plan on Friday, with Acting Director Sonya Ebright emphasizing the necessity of the strategic shift, noting that the agency is now on a “wartime footing” where “speed matters.”
The plan, covering fiscal years 2026 to 2030, is structured around four primary lines of effort that focus heavily on leveraging advanced data and technology to enhance warfighter lethality, transparency and value.
Table of Contents
How Will DCMA Speed Acquisition Decisions?
The four priority lines of effort are:
1. Strengthening the Defense Industrial Base Through Artificial Intelligence
DCMA aims to enhance resilience across the industrial base by expanding the adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The agency intends to shift from traditional product checks to predictive, risk-based monitoring of contractor performance, safety and cybersecurity across the supply chain.
Key objective: Apply performance and cyber risk assessments across 100 percent of the suppliers DCMA oversees and shift 20 percent of product evaluations to risk-based contractor process reviews.
2. Delivering Agile Acquisition Life Cycle Processes
To improve stakeholder outcomes, DCMA will work to drive efficiency and acceleration by prioritizing the use of automation and modern tools. This effort is focused on adapting to the transformative changes driven by increased digitalization and the implementation of the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul.
Key objective: Reduce acquisition life cycle services processing time by 20 percent.
3. Driving Enhanced Value and Affordability
This pillar operationalizes a risk-based strategy to maximize the War Department’s purchasing power and taxpayer value.
Key objective: Streamline workflows and standardize processes impacting 70 percent of cost and pricing capabilities to strengthen organizational agility, and embed transformative technology in 50 percent of cost and pricing capabilities to enhance operational capacity.
4. Developing Talent and Aligning Technology
This line of effort focuses on internal capacity, modernizing DCMA’s infrastructure and workforce to meet future demands. This includes aggressive technology goals to transition from legacy systems and improve data security.
Key objective: Transition 95 percent from legacy systems, achieve zero trust compliance and configure its Blue List as an integrated, automated marketplace. DCMA also aims to improve workforce capability by reducing the skills gap by 5 percent and maintaining a 50 percent fill rate of agency-approved critical positions.
The strategy will be accompanied by an annual performance plan that sets measurable milestones and tracks progress.
“More than just a compass, the plan is also our clock,” Ebright said. “Our nation is facing an increasingly complex future, rife with challenges and threats, requiring a rededication of our national defense efforts.”
Related Articles
The Department of Government Efficiency announced that federal agencies terminated 43 excessive contracts with a total ceiling value of $3.5 billion over the past five days, resulting in approximately $222 million in savings. What Were the Canceled Government Contracts? In a post on X Saturday, DOGE said the canceled contracts include a $29 million Department of Commerce consulting contract to provide staff to conduct program management as well as planning, analysis and project management support and a $4.3 million IT contract of the Department of the Treasury to “develop a comprehensive strategic narrative and management approach aimed at the Human
The Office of Management and Budget has released the President’s Management Agenda, outlining the Trump administration’s priority goals to improve the federal government’s performance and management. “This Agenda articulates key management reform objectives as priority goals, established by the President’s Executive Orders and directives, while meeting the requirements set forth in statute,” OMB Director Russell Vought and Eric Ueland, deputy director for management at OMB, wrote in a memo to agencies Monday. “The Agenda will advance the President’s America First priorities and instill a discipline in the Government to tirelessly deliver for the American people,” Vought and Ueland noted. What
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced on LinkedIn Thursday that Andrew McCarthy has been appointed its new chief of staff. What Will Andrew McCarthy Do as CISA Chief of Staff? According to his official profile on the CISA website, McCarthy will oversee the agency’s daily operations while shaping its strategic direction, with a particular emphasis on policy development and organizational priorities. In this new role, he will draw upon his extensive experience across the intelligence community and the Department of Homeland Security. What Roles Did McCarthy Hold Before Joining CISA? Before his appointment, McCarthy served as senior adviser for cyber, infrastructure, risk