Is Sordac's Rapid Acquisition Process Best Prepared To Field Solutions For Future Technological Challenges
Abstract
As seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, our adversaries are quickly gaining access to global technologies and acquiring means to develop threats and countermeasures to our systems.1 In the first few years of those conflicts, the US was ineffective in rapidly reacting and adjusting to deal with the changing tactics and techniques of our enemies. However, since US government changes were made in 2005 to impact our ability to rapidly adapt and field new technologies, some organizations have adapted better than others. This paper argues SOCOM's Special Operations Research, Development and Acquisition Center (SORDAC) is the Department of Defense (DoD) leader in rapid acquisitions, and its culture and practices should be benchmarked by the other services. This paper examines SORDAC's unique acquisition environment, its unique culture and how SORDAC employs and synergizes innovative acquisition tools, and finally areas for improvement within the acquisition world. SORDAC's partnerships with innovative commercial technology vendors minimizes costs and risks to the government, has spun off applicable and relevant technologies, and has been critical in enhancing the most capable and feared fighting force in the world.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 31, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1037580
Entities
People
- Eric L Mikkelson
Organizations
- Air War College