Rapid Acquisition
Abstract
After eight years of war, there continues to be much discussion on the responsiveness of the Acquisition community to meet the Warfighter's needs. There have been numerous studies commissioned to examine the deficiencies and inhibitors of the existing processes and to make recommendations to more rapidly field urgently needed capabilities. Additionally, a multitude of ad hoc organizations and processes have been formed with the goal of getting capabilities to the Warfighter faster by bypassing the slower and more deliberate formal processes that were the subject of the studies. The three formal processes that the Army follows to transform a need into a capability are: The Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS); the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution System (PPBES); and the Defense Acquisition System. Collectively, it is through these processes that the Warfighter's needs are identified, resourced, and acquired. Almost universally, these systems are deemed too slow, bureaucratic, and unable to keep up with an ever-evolving threat in a persistent conflict environment. In parallel to these formal processes and as a means to address Wartime urgent needs, the Army uses Operational Need Statements and Supplemental Funding to identify and resource urgent needs quickly. The Army then uses ad hoc organizations such as the Rapid Equipping Force (REF) to rapidly acquire and equip units on a small scale with needed capabilities. This paper will compare and contrast the findings and recommendations of recent studies as well as compare and contrast the deliberate acquisition process with the rapid acquisition processes in use by United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the REF.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 02, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA544317
Entities
People
- Timothy D. Chyma
Organizations
- United States Army War College