East Central Alabama News

U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered opening remarks at a hearing on Department of Defense acquisition pathways and innovation efforts. The event was held in Silicon Valley to engage directly with leading innovators.

"I want to thank our witnesses for being here and the University of California Santa Cruz for hosting us," Rogers began. He noted that this was the first time in several years that the Armed Services Committee had conducted a hearing outside Washington, D.C.

The choice of Silicon Valley was deliberate, aimed at addressing longstanding challenges faced by the Department of Defense (DoD) in rapidly developing, scaling, and delivering innovations to military personnel. "Why does the DoD continue to struggle with rapidly developing, scaling, and delivering innovation to our warfighters?" Rogers questioned.

Rogers highlighted industry complaints about the slow pace of acquisitions and the difficulties small innovators face due to lack of capital and support. "This is immensely frustrating to us because this committee has spearheaded dozens of efforts over the last decade," he said. These efforts include reforming DoD’s acquisition process, creating new flexible acquisition pathways, and facilitating partnerships between DoD and the private sector.

He emphasized the urgency of solving these issues, pointing out China's significant investments in new capabilities designed for future battlefields. "Make no mistake - these capabilities are being developed specifically to defeat our military," he warned.

However, Rogers expressed optimism about America's robust innovation ecosystem, particularly in Silicon Valley. "There is no shortage of innovative Americans...with the ideas and know-how to keep us ahead of our adversaries," he stated.

Referencing lessons from Ukraine's recent conflicts, Rogers stressed that speed in innovating, scaling, and deploying provides a battlefield advantage. Despite previous assurances from senior DoD officials that they had all necessary authorities and were expediting innovation efforts, Rogers indicated disagreement: "We’re here today because we respectfully disagree."

The committee sought input from America's innovators on whether current DoD acquisition pathways are effective and solicited recommendations for improvement. Additionally, they aimed to understand how to overcome DoD’s historical reluctance towards rapid movement and risk-taking in innovation.