Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall called on Congress to support a legislative proposal that would authorize the Department of Defense to begin work on “new start” programs before securing congressional approval in order to rapidly deploy capabilities, maintain the country’s competitive advantage and help strengthen deterrence.
“This proposal represents low-hanging fruit that would eliminate one to two years from critically needed programs without any risk,” Kendall, a 2023 Wash100 awardee, wrote in an op-ed published Monday on Breaking Defense.
Under the proposal, he said the department would be able to outline a requirements definition and conduct systems engineering and preliminary design, among other activities, without any budgetary or contractual commitments.
DOD requested $300 million in funds per year to support a number of pilot programs meant to test the concept.
Kendall noted that the proposed measure would require service secretaries to secure approval from the secretary of Defense and inform Congress within 15 days.
“When we discover innovative applications of technology that will give us a significant military advantage, we need to act,” he noted.
