Cuyamaca College
Environmental Technology Program
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Rapid advances in commercial technology combined with declining U.S. defense budgets have, in many cases, rendered DOD's traditional, defense-unique approach to technology development and procurement less affordable and less effective than in the past.
Defense programs need to take advantage of cost-conscious, market-driven commercial production and leverage the huge investments in leading-edge process technologies made by private industry. It is also important that defense technologies and systems keep pace with the rapid product development cycles driven in critical areas by a highly dynamic commercial sector.
In June 1994, the Secretary of Defense directed the military services "to use performance and commercial specifications and standards instead of military specifications and standards, unless no practical alternative exists to meet the user's needs." This represents a reversal of prior practice, requiring explicit approval to use military specifications and standards.
In cases where commercial products require adaptation for military use, DOD will make long- and medium-term investments in the deployment of new manufacturing technology to promote the integration of military production with commercial production. DOD will also support the transitioning of defense-sponsored technologies to commercial applications in order to obtain defense savings through cost-conscious, market-driven production.
One cannot design a weapon system and then expect to find commercial parts with which to build it. Future weapons systems must be consciously designed to use state-of-the-art commercial parts and subsystems and to be built in facilities with integrated military and commercial production lines.
Acquisition reform is the foundation for this vision. The legal, regulatory and operational changes being pursued in acquisition reform support changes to DOD investment strategies, practices, and policy in three related areas, called the "three pillars" of the dual use technology policy:
1. Investment in R&D on dual use technologies
2. Integration of military and commercial production
3. Insertion of commercial capabilities into military systemsTo maintain qualitatively superior military systems, the dual use technology strategy depends upon commercial industrial networks that can support our nation's security by supplying competitive and affordable products using the most advanced technologies.
The benefits for the DOD will be better products developed faster and at lower cost. In addition, a vigorous, productive, and competitive commercial industrial infrastructure which, when coupled to the superior systems integration capability and defense-unique technologies provided by defense contractors, will ensure a superior U.S. military.
DOD will rely on defense-unique development and procurement only when a technology or system required for a national security mission has no commercial source, or where the investment risks are large and the time frame very long.
By drawing on commercial technology and capabilities wherever possible, the military can attain three compatible objectives:
1. Shorten weapon system development time and increase the pace at which technological improvements are incorporated into new military systems. This goal can be accomplished by introducing the commercial sector's continuous stream of updated technology during development, production and deployment phases.
2. Reduce costs for procuring leading-edge technology. Commercial components, technologies and subsystems can, in many instances, be incorporated into military systems to meet the functional requirements at lower cost than technology that is uniquely developed from scratch for a specific military customer.
3. Permit DOD to maintain its ability to respond rapidly to national security contingencies. Close integration with the private sector is imperative if the nation is to be equipped to gear up its industrial capabilities quickly to meet the military demands of a crisis.
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 Last update 05/12/98 by Cuyamaca Web Team |