Defense acquisition feels broken, because it's working exactly as designed — to prevent political embarrassment rather than enable mission success. Dr. Alexis Lasselle Ross, President of Apex Defense Strategies, spent 25 years navigating this system and breaks down the fundamental business dynamics that control America's defense spending, from congressional quasi-entitlements that build on themselves year after year to the five-year budget cycle that disconnects funding decisions from technology development.

Alexis sees the current moment as uniquely positioned for significant acquisition reform, she tells Ian, with alignment across government and industry driven by the China threat. She explains why contracting officers become risk-averse by design, operating under layers of regulations from decades of reactive policymaking, and identifies the breakthrough authorities that could finally address funding inflexibility.

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