Key Takeaways

• Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth aims to reform the Pentagon’s acquisition process to enhance military capabilities quickly.
• A comprehensive joint force design is essential for effective military integration across services, addressing funding and capability gaps.
• Current service-centric approaches risk undermining the collective strength of the U.S. military and necessitate a shift in Pentagon budgeting and resource allocation.

Reforming the Pentagon’s Acquisition Process

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has committed to transforming the Pentagon as its “change agent,” focusing on speeding up the acquisition of military capabilities for warfighters. Achieving this ambition is complex and demands a strategic shift towards a joint force design, enabling seamless integration of military capabilities across various branches and operational domains. This approach is crucial for pinpointing vital capabilities that serve the joint force but are often overlooked in individual service funding.

According to the Joint Staff, there is a pressing need for a unified vision regarding the future of the Joint Force. Currently, the U.S. military lacks a coherent framework to guide modernization priorities for dependent services. The Joint Warfighting Concept suggests a broader strategy for future conflicts but falls short on specifics regarding capability development timelines across services. Marine Corps leaders have underscored the absence of a collective vision for the future trajectory of the Joint Force.

At present, military branches are advancing their respective force designs independently, failing to collaborate on long-range operational capabilities. The Marine Corps’ recent “Force Design,” aimed at creating a more agile and mobile force, contrasts with the Navy’s focus on uncrewed vessels within its evolving hybrid fleet, while the Air Force envisions advanced asymmetrical capabilities. The Army is expected to introduce its version of force design shortly.

However, this fragmented approach often prioritizes budgetary concerns over strategic cohesion. The competition for financial resources leads to investments in service-specific capabilities, which detracts from the overall military strength and jeopardizes the joint force. Essential assets, such as intelligence, surveillance, and logistics capabilities, are considered “common pool resources,” meaning their value extends beyond individual services but are subject to underfunding due to each service’s independence.

For instance, the Marine Corps’ plan relies significantly on Navy support for logistics and intelligence, yet Navy strategies do not address their pivotal role in sustaining Marine operations due to the lack of a joint oversight mechanism. This disconnect poses a risk as the nature of modern conflicts increasingly demands multi-domain solutions, recognizing the distinctive strengths of each military domain.

To move towards a robust joint force, the Department of Defense must adopt a unified force design, which melds specific domain expertise into a comprehensive framework. This design should prioritize military options that align with national security goals, rather than catering to individual service preferences. It should highlight critical common resources that are consistently underfunded and advocate for their necessary allocation.

Additionally, there is a call to restructure acquisition authorities, shifting the focus away from individual services and towards the collective needs of the joint force. This transition aims to improve budgetary alignment with actual military requirements, eliminating wasteful spending resulting from bureaucratic rivalries.

In a world where global security dynamics are increasingly intricate, rethinking and redesigning military structures is not merely advisable; it is imperative for safeguarding the U.S. military’s strategic advantages.

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