【By Lin Chenli, Observers Network】According to the U.S. "BreakingDefense" website and Reuters, U.S. Army Secretary Driscoll said this week that major U.S. defense companies are "cheating" the U.S. military in the procurement of expensive equipment. Previously, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin stated that the U.S. military is seeking to reduce its business with traditional main defense contractors and instead "more effectively utilize American innovative enterprises."

On November 12 local time, Driscoll said at a media roundtable: "The entire defense industrial base, especially the main contractors, have cheated the American public, the Pentagon, and the Army."

"In the past, 90% of the items we purchased were specifically tailored for the military or the Army, while only 10% were off-the-shelf. The main contractors led us to believe that we had to adopt specialized military solutions, but in fact, many commercial solutions perform equally or even better. This mindset is actually hurting ourselves," he added.

Reuters pointed out that for a long time, government accountability officials and some legislators have believed that defense contractors charge exorbitant prices to the military. However, Driscoll used "unusually straightforward" language to publicly criticize the companies supplying the world's largest army, which is rare among current government officials.

Photo from video: U.S. Army Secretary Driscoll

Driscoll pointed out that the current goal of the military is to deliver weapons systems and platforms to soldiers more quickly. If the main contractors do not start improving their operational efficiency, the old ways will no longer work. "The system has changed, you can no longer do this to the U.S. Army anymore," he said.

"We are trying to reverse this ratio: at worst, we aim to achieve 90% use of commercial off-the-shelf products and 10% dedicated custom products. Because when you really think about the scenario of large-scale conflict, the scalability and convenience of mass-producing customized solutions pales in comparison to commercial off-the-shelf products," he said.

Driscoll admitted that the main contractors are not always the culprits, partly because the incentives set by the U.S. government and the Army itself have allowed companies to charge exorbitant prices, and in a way, they should also take responsibility for it.

The report mentioned that large weapon manufacturers provide various systems to the U.S. military, including the F-35 fighter jet from Lockheed Martin, and missile defense systems produced by Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing. Previously, the Army disclosed that the screen control knob of the "Black Hawk" helicopter produced by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, was purchased as part of a complete component at a cost of $47,000, while manufacturing it separately would only cost $15.

For decades, the way the U.S. military procures weapons and platforms has been criticized. One of the most famous examples in recent years of the Pentagon failing to deliver the right equipment to the front lines was the large number of soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan due to roadside bombs, and these casualties were caused by vehicles with weak armor that were not designed for such conflicts.

Instrument panel of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

Driscoll introduced that expanding cooperation with non-traditional suppliers is one of the plans for a comprehensive reform of the procurement structure of the U.S. Army, which is the largest procurement system adjustment in the Army's history. This reform will involve multiple integration measures, including reducing the number of senior officers, cutting down on 12 project execution offices responsible for procurement, establishing a new hierarchical reporting structure, and placing greater emphasis on doing business with commercial and private enterprises.

These changes also echo Austin's remarks last week. On November 7 local time, Austin delivered a speech in Washington to military leaders and defense contractors, stating that the Department of Defense is reforming the way the U.S. military purchases weapons, shifting the focus from developing advanced and complex technologies to products that can be rapidly produced and delivered.

Austin pointed out that companies selling weapons and platforms to the U.S. military need to "take risks and cooperate with the United States." He then turned his attention to large defense contractors, saying that the Department of Defense will move away from the traditional model of limited competition and instead "more effectively utilize American innovative enterprises."

He said that his reforms aim to free the military from the previous pattern of prioritizing perfect, but expensive and delayed delivery products, and instead adopt faster, albeit not perfect, solutions. "The goal is simple: to transform the entire procurement system into a wartime operating mode, accelerate capability deployment quickly, and focus on results," he said.

Some experts said these changes may mean reduced transparency, ultimately leading to systems that fail to meet expectations.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7573127291513979434/

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