The Department of Defense updated its acquisition policy to help speed up the delivery of hypersonic weapons to warfighters and Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, discussed how the 5000 series rewrite could help address sustainment concerns for such weapons systems, DoD News reported Friday.
"Our biggest sustainment concerns with hypersonics are ensuring that subcomponents have a resilient supply chain with secure microelectronic components and that the services, the military services, have a strategy for spares and repairables that provide sufficient annual quantities to ensure predictability for suppliers and readiness for the warfighter," Lord said Friday at the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement's Hypersonic Weapons Summit.
"The 5000 rewrite, specifically the product support and sustainment functional policy, places more emphasis on designing and contracting for sustainment,” she added.
Lord also discussed the acquisition pathways in the Adaptive Acquisition Framework under the updated 5000 series and how AAF offers a way for program managers to quickly deploy hypersonic weapons systems and other capabilities with affordability in mind.
"It's paramount that we drive affordability into hypersonic weapons manufacturing to ensure that we can procure sufficient quantities," Lord said. "Previous efforts reduce technical risk by designing and producing developmental flight test demonstration vehicles. Now, we will prioritize manufacturability and producibility with hypersonic prototype development programs."
GovConWire will host its GovConWire’s FY21 Acquisition Forum on Nov. 12 to discuss the lastest initiatives and goals for the federal acquisition process.
During GovConWire’s FY21 Acquisition Forum, notable federal and industry leaders will discuss the Defense Budget Reform, annual financial audit schedule adherence, Defense Acquisition System and implementation of the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF).
Lt. Gen. David Bassett, director of the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), will be featured as the keynote speaker to address the technology procurement programs offered at DCMA, as well as how the marketplace will change moving forward.
To register for GovConWire’s FY21 Acquisition Forum, as well as see upcoming opportunities, visit GovConWire's Event Page.
