Fast-Tracking the Future: NDIA’s ETI Charts Path to Accelerate Emerging Defense Capabilities
(Arlington, VA) The National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA) Emerging Technologies Institute (ETI) has released a new paper offering insights into how the Department of Defense can improve its processes for rapidly integrating critical technologies. The report, “Accelerating the Adoption of Emerging Capabilities”, was published on November 22, 2024.
ETI’s research of three case studies (MOAB, MRAP, and OWS) led to the identification of six underlying principles of rapid adoption: 1) High Level Political Support, 2) Few Regulatory or Policy Barriers, 3) Technology is Sufficiently Mature, 4) Technology is Manufacturable, 5) Technology can be Transitioned into Use Expeditiously, and 6) Funding is Available.
The report recommends a new acquisition pathway within the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), called the “Immediate Opportunity Pathway.” This pathway bypasses the traditional requirements validation and PPBE processes, enabling prototypes to enter the acquisition process without a formal requirement.
Other recommendations offered in the paper:
- Congress should raise the threshold for Below-Threshold Reprogramming (BTR) for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation programs to increase program manager’s flexibility to respond to changing circumstances.
- The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD(IBP)) should conduct studies on the efficacy of market shaping approaches for national security purposes.
- Increase the use of Commercial Solutions Offerings (CSOs), including making use of the expanded authorities provided by the FY2024 NDAA.
The paper also provides draft NDAA and Appropriations Provision language for ETI’s proposed new acquisition pathway and clarifying low-rate initial production (LRIP).
The full report is available for download at https://www.emergingtechnologiesinstitute.org/publications/research-papers/accelerating-the-adoption-of-emerging-capabilities
Contact:
Rachel Sutherland, Director of PR & Communications
rsutherland@NDIA.org