Army Futures Command has established a new organization that will help companies navigate their way through the defense acquisition process, National Defense Magazine reported Tuesday.
The command’s Army Applications Laboratory will coordinate with traditional defense contractors to assist startups in developing military products that will be able to make it into programs of record.
Adam Jay Harrison, innovation officer of Army Futures Command and head of the new lab, noted that the U.S. Army aims to maximize program pathways to take advantage of new technologies being developed.
He found that young companies are usually uninterested in working with the Defense Department because of the demands of dealing with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and other processes that can delay transactions.
The Army Applications Lab will launch various programs that focus on product procurement businesses, as well as establish a fund for innovation programs.