Ben FitzGerald, director of the technology and national security program at the Center for a New American Security, has said the Defense Department should expand the use of commercial platforms across military services, FCW reported Tuesday.
“While the market will not yield a stealthy, armed drone, commercially available drones may be utilized for tactical applications at a fraction of the cost of military models,†FitzGerald told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.
Norman Augustine, former CEO of Lockheed Martin, and co-author of the book “The Defense Revolution”, said at the Senate hearing that DoD’s procurement policies have resulted in the relocation of technology experts to Silicon Valley, Research Triangle and other tech centers, Mark Rockwell writes.
Augustine, added that judgment should be adopted to introduce reforms to the Pentagon’s acquisition system.
“Judgment regarding complex issues is an attribute that can only be found in one place — competent, dedicated, experienced people who are given the freedom to exercise judgment,” he said.
