Douglas Bush, assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology at the U.S. Army, said he is prioritizing “acquisition at speed” to shorten purchasing timelines especially for small businesses waiting for funding.
He told Government Matters in an interview aired Wednesday that his team is using Congress-approved authority to start programs much faster and digital engineering to kickstart prototype construction earlier.
Bush noted the Army was able to develop new firearms in 27 months under the Next-generation Squad Weapon program, and is testing the same rapid prototyping approach to replace old artillery and ammunition across the service.
The acquisition official added he would initiate software reform and biotechnology projects that take advantage of existing private sector accomplishments to expedite how the government purchases, develops, fields and sustains its technologies while supporting personnel.
When asked about Project Convergence, Bush said his team is testing robotics and network technologies to solve operational problems in joint all-domain command and control.
Bush made his remarks at the annual Association of the U.S. Army meeting, where he also talked about working with allies to secure the supply chain despite donating arms to countries like Ukraine.
