New Research Shows How Technology Adoption Programs Can Succeed

A team of four George Mason University researchers examined the impact of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution (PPBE) process on the development of defense technologies.  

Among other recommendations, the resulting report suggests: 

• Amending the National Defense Authorization Act to keep expiring funds within a program executive office if they are spent before the next year’s funds are enacted. 

• Allowing money to be moved among different “colors of money” or types of funds within a program. 

• Amending the continuing resolution prohibition on new starts. 

• Increasing program office collaboration with Congress and other outside entities. 

• Promoting the use of rapid acquisition authorities. 

Researchers developed six different case studies and made several recommendations for how to best transform the process to more easily transition defense technologies to production. The case studies included the Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), Space Development Agency, Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, Army Robotic Combat Vehicle, Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, and Navy Large and Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels.  

“What has made those programs successful is if they’re championed by senior leaders,” said Jeff Kojac, director of studies and senior research scientist at George Mason’s Costello College of Business Baroni Center for Government Contracting. 

Kojac, a 30-year U.S. Marine Corps officer who also served on the White House National Security Council staff, noted that reforms are necessary to keep pace with adversaries.

“America’s geopolitical adversaries are constantly adapting. Technology is continually evolving," he said. "For the nation to be effective at deterring and defeating adversaries, we need to habitually adopt and integrate new technological solutions in operational solutions.”

The CCA program’s unmanned air vehicles can operate autonomously or with manned combat aircraft. The report mentions that the CCA is part of the Next Generation Air Dominance initiative to deploy sixth-generation jet fighters. 

“If Frank Kendall, the secretary of the Air Force, had not intervened,” he said, “it’s doubtful that the Department of the Air Force would actually be moving at the speed that they’re moving to bring this uncrewed technology to bear.” 

Kojac said the CCA program is not just the key to the future of the Air Force, “but the other services too, when it comes to how they plan on fighting in the air.” 

Researchers also found that technology adoption programs can be successful in navigating the PPBE process when the program sees informed congressional engagement; there is coordination and collaboration between stakeholders internal and external to the program’s specific military service; the program is affiliated with a prior existing program; or the program implements authorities or innovative practices suited to creating new capabilities.

On the other hand, there are a few factors that might lead to a new technology program becoming a casualty, including: 

• Technology transition program investment is displaced by existing programs, which are defended by established stakeholders. 

• New technology programs are vulnerable in budget execution when their need for fiscal flexibility is greatest to accommodate events and rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges.

• Disruption or delay by legislative and policy barriers to transferring funding within programs or between interdependent initiatives, despite their budget plans being created years before execution.

“If a program is not engaged with Congress, and that program is trying to do something new, it’s going to be a casualty because existing programs will be defended by established stakeholders," Kojac explained.

He explained that one of the biggest issues is the funding process for incorporating new technologies takes too long.

“Many constraints are a function of how we as a nation spend money,” he said. Congress goes through a lengthy process to get any program approved. 

The group’s findings were based on six case studies, including four program offices and two organizations that experienced transitioning technology to defense capabilities.

“For defense program offices and innovative industry partners to succeed today in transitioning technology into new military capabilities, they have to be experts in the present PPBE process, as well as rapid acquisition authorities and contracting strategies," Kojac said.