SecDef overhauls acquisition requirements process, JCIDS changes

The Pentagon is killing the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) process. The Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), which oversees that process, will stop validating component-level requirement documents. An Aug 20 memo titled, "Reforming the Joint Requirements Process to Accelerate Fielding of Warfighting Capabilities" lays out the objective and need for reform: "...to streamline and accelerate the joint force needs, work with industry earlier in the process, and better integrate requirements determination and resource prioritization to make better budgeting decisions." A new Requirements and Resourcing Alignment Board (RRAB), co-chaired by the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the deputy defense secretary, "shall select topics from the top-ranked KOP [key operational problems] and nominations from the co-chairs to perform analysis, issue programming guidance, and recommend allocation of funding from the Joint Acceleration Reserve (JAR)." Former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial policy Bill Greenwalt of American Enterprise Institute, said that by shutting down the JCIDS, individual services again have validation authority over their bigger-ticket programs..." and "the move could ultimately cut through red tape and endless stacks of joint validated memos that wither on the shelf." Eric Felt, former director of architecture and integration in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, commented: "There are three processes that are broken: acquisition, requirements, and budgeting. All three must be fixed ... This memo takes a sledgehammer to the second problem, the requirements bureaucracy that had become the pacing process for many new programs," https://lnkd.in/eta44N9t #defenseindustry #procurementreform #defenseinnovation #defensebudget

JCIDS may be excessively slow and bureaucratic but what it provides is important. Eliminating the Joint Requirements Oversight Council shortens the timeline but increases the chance of duplications and omissions. Certain technologies are indeed moving so quickly that extreme decentralization is necessary. Others can still benefit from a more deliberate approach with "adult supervision." Consideration could be given to which types of acquisitions need different approaches. The "valley of death" isn't just a factor of time, it's also one of funding. Sudden fluctuations and changes in direction with DoD budgets can make companies less willing to take risk. Much of this comes down to thinking of acquisition from a capability standpoint vice a hardware standpoint. You don't necessarily need X widget, but you need to have capabilities A, B, and C that it provides. DoD needs to need to plan the FYDP budget and communicate its enduring requirements to industry accordingly. https://lnkd.in/d_9N_QSX

🚨 Major Reform in Defense Acquisition and Requirements 🚨 On August 20, 2025, the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a landmark memorandum reshaping how the Department identifies, funds, and fields critical warfighting capabilities. 🔑 Key Changes Include: ·      Disestablishing JCIDS: Shifting responsibility for requirements to the Services and freeing the Joint Staff to focus on strategic priorities. ·      Re-orienting the JROC: Now tasked with identifying and ranking the Joint Force’s most pressing Key Operational Problems (KOPs) annually. ·      Launching the RRAB: A new Requirements and Resourcing Alignment Board co-chaired by the DepSecDef and VCJCS to tie requirements directly to resources. ·      Standing up the MEIA: Mission Engineering and Integration Activity to drive rapid industry engagement, experimentation, and integration. ·      Creating the Joint Acceleration Reserve (JAR): Dedicated funding to bridge the “valley of death” and accelerate delivery of impactful capabilities. 💡 The Vision: A faster, more agile, and more integrated process that aligns requirements, resourcing, and industry innovation to deliver capabilities at the speed of relevance. #DefenseInnovation #NationalSecurity #DoD #AcquisitionReform

The new GAO report hit me: the Department of Defense still takes 12+ years to deliver new capabilities. By then, the tech and the threats have already changed. From a Business Analyst’s lens, this feels familiar… requirements locked in too early, stakeholders brought in too late, and long cycles that leave us with solutions no one truly needs anymore. What actually works? - Start small, deliver fast, learn quicker - Keep end users at the table from day one - Measure success by the value delivered, not just cost or schedule Perfection shouldn’t take a decade. Progress should be continuous. https://lnkd.in/gy9iGAvY

The United States Department of War’s Trusted Capital Program was created for one reason: To keep adversarial influence out of America’s most critical technologies Mandated by the 2018 NDAA, Trusted Capital connects vetted investors with capability providers in 27 critical tech areas. Every capital provider undergoes rigorous vetting to keep adversarial influence out of the defense supply chain. Were there issues with the program? Sure. Just like the CMMC rollout, Trusted Capital isn’t perfect. But these are the rules of the game. Ignoring them can cost companies future contracts and credibility. That’s why we’re highlighting our partnership with Leonid Capital Partners, a DoD Trusted Capital provider. Their mission is aligned with the program’s intent: deliver fast, flexible financing to companies advancing the technologies that matter most for national security. The future of defense innovation will be shaped as much by a resillient capital strategy as by technology strategy. #DefenseTech #NatSec #TrustedCapital Christopher Lay James Parker Claire Carloss

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