American government has become cumbersome and siloed, and the ways of acquisition have become barriers to success instead of pathways to the state-of-the-art. It is therefore up to those of us in industry to lead the way. This is a pivotal time and the path to success is not a linear one, but rather a systematic web, which must be both rational and dynamic opposed to the rigid format to which the entire defense industry is accustomed.

History might not repeat but it certainly rhymes. The geopolitical reality is one that our present USG acquisition structure is unable to match. We are both in hot and cold wars simultaneously and have been so longer than we have wanted to admit as a country. With tensions rising it’s unsurprising that America needs both Acquisition Reform along with a stronger Defense Industrial Base (“DIB”). However, the questions of how and what linger and hover over an old and archaic mindset that was set in peace and now finds itself engaged in war. Therefore, as current CNO Admiral Caudle has published; Foundry-Fleet-Fight: Built in the Foundry - Tempered in the Fleet - Forged to Fight. It is clear that this is a call to action for both industry and Navy – however to achieve these desired outcomes we must stop impeding attainment and embrace changes that work.

We have been singing a song to rebuild the industrial base and to bring manufacturing back home. America. A country built on an idea – must again fight for that very idea and the only path to win is to harness America’s most beautiful minds and to unleash their creative spirits. So, what does this actually entail?

CNO Daryl Caudle states that the Fleet is forged in the Foundry, which includes the Industrial Base – he says that the Foundry is essential to train the workforce to build and maintain the fleet. There is a need to strengthen public-private partnerships and to “operationalize readiness,” in the Foundry to get the Fleet ready for the Fight. A fight that has already begun, and it demands adaptability, optimization, innovation, rapid scalability, and proper harnessing of the greater DIB. It is time to stop singing and start doing.

Caudle states, “we must fight differently in the future. In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, we will innovate, adapt and integrate cutting-edge technologies at the speed of relevance.” The only way to deliver on this is through partnership and collaboration. A healthy ecosystem in the DIB requires a blend of different types of businesses. The traditional “Big Primes,” exciting “New Primes” backed by private capital, and Small Private Businesses… Each has pros and cons. Partnership and collaboration, within Industry including our allies, is essential for bolstering the ecosystem and delivering at scale. We all know America is the “home of the free because of the brave,” but we forget that “America the beautiful” is only so because of the minds of our people which leads to the creative abilities of industry. When synergies align, we accelerate our asymmetric technological advantage –as our adversaries certainly are aware. American ingenuity must again be both harnessed and unleashed in a manner that is both strategic and unapologetic.