By: Justin Lynch
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It takes to a greater extent than or less 7 years, on average, for an thought to atomic number 82 to a Pentagon contract, but the life cycle for automated equipment is only over iii years. The long acquisition procedure as well as curt lifespan agency a Pentagon plan that tin impulsively scan an enemy’s network has applied scientific discipline that’s already to a greater extent than than ii generations old on the get-go twenty-four hours that it is used. This paradox is highlighted inwards a novel report, “Cyber Acquisition," which describes the Department of Defense’s cyber acquisition procedure every bit “too slow,” a “support nightmare” as well as ane that “puts the warfighter at risk.”
Because of the delay inwards acquiring cybersecurity equipment, “the armed forces volition live forced to utilize increasingly inferior capabilities,” the newspaper reads. It volition look inwards the upcoming Cyber Defense Review, an academic journal.
Frustration over the Pentagon’s acquisition procedure are non new, but the newspaper argues that because of rapid innovations inwards cybersecurity the discontent has been compounded.
“Cyber is at the shortest extreme of the acquisition needs fourth dimension scale,” the study reads. It was written past times Thomas Klemas as well as Rebecca Lively, both of the U.S. Air Force, as well as Nazli Choucri, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Staffers charged alongside deciding whether to buy a organisation or develop a plan of tape at the Pentagon are rarely the sole arbiter of what is eventually acquired, the newspaper argues. Instead, layers of bureaucrats are also included inwards the process, which solely exacerbates the delays, the experts said.
“The electrical current organisation emphasizes stiff adherence to written procedure as well as systems over measurable outcomes as well as speed,” according to the article. “This is non surprising where the book of regulations, restrictions, as well as documentation is as well as hence vast as well as acquisition personnel are non trained to operational needs.”
“The organisation today does non describe of piece of work concern human relationship for unique attributes of cyber capabilities, such every bit the postulate for diversity as well as constant alter inwards the environment,” said Katherine Charlet, a old Pentagon deputy assistant secretarial assistant as well as a managing director at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Charlet warned that the Pentagon should also lead keep into consideration cybersecurity of traditional weapons purchases. “Quality, toll as well as schedule won’t affair if your organisation tin live straightaway defeated past times an adversary every bit shortly every bit it’s fielded, or if it lead keep hundreds of millions to a greater extent than dollars to add together cybersecurity mitigations after-the-fact.”
Experts combat that recent policy changes lead keep made the purchasing job worse.
Pentagon officials tin work a procedure known every bit “other transaction authorities” to aid accelerate the acquisition process. But a recent determination past times the Government Accountability Office to review the procedure sets a unsafe precedent, said Bill Greenwalt, a swain at the Atlantic Council.
Greenwalt called the Pentagon’s cyber acquisition methodology a “crisis,” inwards purpose because the States of America is already technologically behind other countries.
However, Greenwalt said that the Pentagon’s novel cyber rapid acquisition authority, which Cyber Command used for the get-go fourth dimension last twelvemonth to amass data technology-related query as well as services, has driven downward purchasing time.
Although the postulate for improve purchasing was a recommendation of the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board, a grouping of exterior experts, thought is non explicitly mentioned inwards the department’s novel cyber strategy.
“Many of the problems that nosotros saw which were handicapping information technology acquisition were also handicapping cyber acquisition,” said Nick Tsiopanas, a staff fellow member at the 809 panel, which makes purchasing recommendations to the Pentagon.
He highlighted the “separate determination as well as findings process” that the Pentagon uses inwards its acquisition method, which he called a “redundancy.”
Tsiopanas argued in that place has of late been momentum from Pentagon officials to alter how equipment is purchased.
“The virtually intractable thing is the culture. It is the hardest nut to crack.”
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