National Defense

U.S. Department of Defense

Working Towards a Stronger Military Future: Streamlining Procurement and R&D to Combat Chinese and Russian Aggression

By: Curran Gilster & Quin Student

Published: Fall 2023

Thumbnail of Policy Memo on Working Towards a Stronger Military FutureAbstract: Since the end of World War II, the military arms industry has grown substantially, necessitating the Defense department to continually revamp its procurement process throughout the last 78 years. These new reforms have worked to both streamline the process while still maintaining some government oversight over the extensive amount of capital spent. The recent reduction in the U.S. role internationally has led some to question the size of our Nation’s military budget and the control which arms manufacturers seemingly are able to wield within our government. While these claims may have some merit, the many emerging threats across the world which the United States must face in order to protect itself as well as allies makes quickly development and manufacture cutting edge military material a crucial part of waging modern warfare. To this end, DOD is always focused on maintaining the technological edge against possible adversaries.. In order to do these things, we agree with the previous legislative and executive decisions that deregulated the procurement process and emphasized the research and development (R&D) of new emerging technologies.