Michael Bloomberg, chair of the Department of Defense Innovation Board, said that DOD is lagging behind the private sector in the technology race because of its antiquated acquisition system.
In an opinion piece published Tuesday on Defense News, Bloomberg noted that the government must learn from commercial companies’ practices in order to advance to the forefront of technological innovation.
The former New York City mayor highlighted the private sector’s “fail fast” principle, a trial-and-error approach to newly developed ideas in order to quickly determine if they should be pursued or reevaluated from the beginning.
He also mentioned a proposed bill entitled “Rapid Response to Emergent Technology Advancements or Threats,” which would authorize the secretaries of the different military branches to acquire new capabilities as needed, even before Congress approves a final budget.
Bloomberg called for the expansion of spending authority to DOD acquisition officials, asserting that they should be given more flexibility in procuring state-of-the-art equipment and technology at a faster pace, before the products become obsolete.
