US
Secretary
of
Defense
Pete
Hegseth
visits
Joint
Task
Force
North,
US
Northern
Command,
to
see
the
efforts
military
men
and
women
are
undertaking
in
support
of
US
Customs
and
Border
Protection
to
secure
the
southern
border
at
Fort
Bliss,
Texas,
Feb.
12,
2025.
(US
Army/Sgt.
1st
Class
Andrew
R.
Sveen)
WASHINGTON
—
Pentagon
leaders
are
crafting
a
plan
to
shake
up
how
they
buy
and
field
technology,
with
Defense
Secretary
Pete
Hegseth
starting
things
off
by potentially
directing
that
the
department
adopt
the
Software
Acquisition
Pathway
(SWP)
as
the
preferred
method
for
software
development.
In
a
draft
memo
obtained
by
Breaking
Defense,
Hegseth
calls
on
the
department
to
adopt
the
Software
Acquisition
Pathway,
a
practice
created
in
2020
to
accelerate
software
development
by
implementing
best
practices
from
the
private
sector.
At
its
core
SWP
is
a
streamlined
method
for
procuring
software
programs
bespoke
to
DoD
requirements.
Through
the
SWP
organizations
can
deploy
capabilities
into
platforms
within
six
months
or
less,
DoD
has
previously
stated
that
the
goal
is
to
speed
this
process
up
into
hours
or
days.
The
memo
also
directs
the
use
of
Commercial
Solutions
Openings
and
Other
Transactions
as
the
“default
solicitation”
and
award
avenue
for
acquiring
capabilities.
“Software
is
at
the
core
of
every
weapon
and
supporting
system
we
field
to
remain
the
strongest,
most
lethal
fighting
force
in
the
world.
While
commercial
industry
has
rapidly
adjusted
to
a
software-
defined
product
reality,
DoD
has
struggled
to
reframe
our
acquisition
process
from
a
hardware-
centric
to
a
software-centric
approach,”
the
memo
reads.
(As
the
memo
has
not
been
signed
out,
it
is
possible
wording
could
change
in
the
final
version
of
the
document.)
“When
it
comes
to
software
acquisition,
we
are
overdue
in
pivoting
to
a
performance-based
outcome
and,
as
such,
it
is
the
Warfighter
who
pays
the
price.”
Speaking
on
background,
a
defense
official
told
Breaking
Defense
that
the
department
will
not
comment
“on
alleged
unsigned
draft
memos”
but
did
not
push
back
on
the
contents.
“As
a
general
matter,
the
department
is
committed
to
ensuring
our
warfighters
have
cutting-edge
digital
capabilities,”
the
official
said.
“Through
that
lens,
we
are
looking
at
the
best
methods
to
accelerate
the
delivery
of
scalable,
secure
digital
solutions
by
leveraging
commercial
innovation,
removing
bureaucratic
barriers,
and
prioritizing
performance-based
outcomes.”
Commercial
Solutions
Openings
is
a
solicitation
process
developed
by
the
Defense
Innovation
Unit
(DIU)
that
allows
the
DoD
to
work
with
nontraditional
defense
companies
in
a
more
flexible,
faster,
collaborative
manner.
Any
contracts
awarded
as
a
result
of
this
process
are
handed
out
as
Other
Transaction
Agreements
(OTA).
“This
applies
to
any
software
pathway
program
in
the
planning
phase
prior
to
execution.
Department
Components
are
prohibited
from
implementing
further
guidance
on
this
point
that
would
set
out
restrictive
measures,
guidelines,
frameworks,
directives,
or
policies
other
than
required
by
statute,”
the
memo
states.
Furthermore,
the
Undersecretary
of
Defense
for
Acquisition
and
Sustainment,
alongside
the
DIU
director,
have
to
develop
and
submit
an
implementation
plan
on
how
to
best
utilize
these
practices
within
30
calendar
days
of
the
memo
being
signed.
Broader
Changes
To
Come
The
memo
is
expected
to
kickstart
a
process
aimed
at
getting
new
technologies
and
weapons
into
the
field
at
a
faster
clip,
which
is
emerging
as
a
focus
for
the
Trump
Pentagon,
as
Breaking
Defense
previously
reported.
Related:
DoD
acquisition
reform
guidance
expected
soon,
with
focus
on
rapid
prototyping
There
has
also
been
speculation,
including
in
a
Defense
One
article
earlier
this
month,
on
how
the
new
Trump
administration
may
restructure
offices,
to
include
possibly
combining
pieces
of
the
Chief
Digital
and
Artificial
Intelligence
Office,
DIU
and
Strategic
Capabilities
Office.
(It
may
be
notable
that
DIU
is
called
out
in
the
memo,
potentially
as
a
sign
that
the
organization’s
approach
and
use
of
OTAs
will
have
greater
usage
as
the
Pentagon
seeks
to
increase
ties
to
the
commercial
sector.)
However,
the
defense
official
cautioned
that
it
is
still
early
days
of
“pie
in
the
sky
brainstorming
sessions”
designed
to
explore
a
variety
of
options
to
make
the
Pentagon
“more
effective
and
efficient.”
“I
strongly
caution
against
buying
into
one
rumor
of
how
this
could
go
at
this
point,”
the
defense
official
previously
told
Breaking
Defense.
“Each
of
the
organizations,
like
DIU,
have
strengths
that
would
only
make
sense
to
build
on.”
Earlier
this
month,
one
source
that
works
closely
with
a
broad
swath
of
defense
companies described
this
look
at
acquisition
as
par
for
the
course
anytime
a
new
secretary
enters
the
Pentagon.
“With
all
new
administrations,
there
is
a
pretty
much
‘stop,
relook
and
clarify
priorities
period,’”
the
source
said.
“And
right
now
there
is
a
sense
of
urgency
with
acquisition
reform.”
Many
of
the
non-traditional
tech
companies,
the
source
added,
are
ecstatic
with
the
“rumored
frenzy”
of
acquisition
change.
That
could
potentially
include
revamping
the
DIU
and
funneling
more
work
its
way,
with
companies
who
focus
on
software,
autonomous
systems
and
capabilities
that
do
not
rely
on
GPS,
given
the
ever-increasing
threats
from
electronic
warfare,
hoping
to
cash
in.
“They
don’t
need
to
recreate
the
wheel,
[but
they]
need
strong
leadership
with
a
determined
focus,”
the
source
added,
referring
to
the
DoD.