ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The Army’s new acquisition chief wants to speed up the process of getting soldiers what they need, bolster software talent in the workforce and encourage innovation across the enterprise.

Doug Bush, the new assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said he plans to continue responsible use of the “new authorities we have” to enable a faster acquisition process. He said there is a demand from Army leadership and from Congress that soldiers get what they need as they confront the evolving demands of combat.

The Army is at a critical point in its sweeping modernization effort, where “successful execution” becomes a central challenge as transformation efforts mature, said Douglas Bush, the nominee to be the Army’s top acquisition official.

“Many of these programs are reaching a point where they will soon transition from prototyping and development to production, testing and fielding,” Bush told the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is considering his nomination.

A former armor officer with years of experience on Capitol Hill is President Joe Biden’s pick to be the Army’s top acquisition official, the White House announced.

Douglas Bush, who is already serving as the acting assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, will be nominated for the permanent job, the White House said in a Sept. 21 statement.

The Biden administration has not yet nominated someone to serve as the Army acquisition chief, despite a July 20 announcement.

An error in a press release said Andrew Hunter, an acquisition policy and industrial base expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, had been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as Army assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology. He wasn't. 

Hunter is being nominated to serve as an assistant secretary of the Air Force. according to a correction.

The Army’s top acquisition official said the service is pressing ahead on modernization priorities but having a safe and healthy workforce is the highest priority.

Speaking June 8 during The AUSA Noon Report, an Association of the U.S. Army webcast, Bruce Jette, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology and a retired Army officer, said working closely with industry has been key to keeping Army modernization on track during a global pandemic that has interrupted and complicated work.

The Army is seeking submissions for the fifth round of its XTechSearch competition.

Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on March 31.

The Expeditionary Technology Search, shortened to XTechSearch, calls on small business and technology companies to demonstrate technologies that can help the Army meet its modernization challenges. The goal is to seek nontraditional innovators and small businesses who can work with the Army, including through cooperative research opportunities with Army scientists, as the service continues its modernization efforts.

The Army’s efforts to modernize its industrial manufacturing processes with advanced technology will allow the creation of “things we never could have envisioned,” a senior leader said, cautioning that digital engineering properties created as part of the process would be vulnerable to theft or hacking.

The U.S. military must do more to protect its intellectual property and trade secrets as it moves into an era of great-power competition against countries such as China and Russia, the Pentagon’s top acquisition official said.

“We must pivot to really understand what it takes to go up against China and Russia and prevail and win,” said Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. “Our adversaries pose a threat not only to our technological advantage but our economic advantage, and economic security is national security.”