Despite more than a decade of reforms to the United States Department of Defense’s acquisition processes, the Pentagon still struggles to field systems that take advantage of new technologies at the pace and scale routinely seen in commercial products and services. Procurement officials have sought to improve results within the current framework. But the DoD budgeting process often hinders their ability to reallocate funding from failing programs to those that address real operational problems.

Fielding capabilities via services contracts is not a comprehensive solution to systemic acquisition practices. But it would circumvent bureaucratic roadblocks and deliver innovative technologies to warfighters more quickly. Buying capabilities as a service can enable the co-evolution of technology and tactics, helping commanders develop adequate solutions to their operational problems and make continued improvements to fielded capabilities.

Join Hudson Senior Fellow Bryan Clark, Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA), General Mike Minihan (US Air Force, Ret.), and experts from the defense industry for a series of discussions examining the challenges and opportunities the Pentagon may face when adopting a services model to meet urgent capability needs.