Hon. Ellen Lord, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) acquisition head and a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, has said the Pentagon’s release of a new directive to transform its acquisition procedures.
Lord, who serves as the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said at a recent briefing that updates to the DoD Directive 5000.01 represent a “comprehensive redesign” of the defense acquisition system.
She noted that the “streamlined and modernized” revisions will help empower program managers while promoting flexibility and delivering at the speed of relevance.
The new Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), which took effect in January, has already resulted in improvements for the service branches, said Lord.
"As with the AAF's existing pathways, our intent is to ensure we have a process that is designed around the characteristics of the capability in development, rather than forcing them through a business model that just doesn't fit,” she added.
According to Lord, the DoD’s acquisition system needed to keep up with the private sector and incorporate a culture that fosters creative compliance and critical thinking.
A hybrid approach to acquisition can also help program managers and decision-makers mitigate risk, speed up programs, establish requirements and solidify engineering approaches while ensuring proper oversight, she noted.
Join Potomac Officers Club for its 5G Summit on Oct. 27, 2020 to learn about the impact that innovative technologies and 5G integration have on the private and public sectors, the steps the federal agencies have taken to remain up to speed with the rapid advancement of technology, and the future programs, plans and priorities as the nation aligns with emerging technology.
Hon. Ellen Lord, undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at the Department of Defense (DoD) and four-time Wash100 Award recipient, will be featured as the keynote speaker.
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