Let the Discussions Begin – Deputy Under Secretary Challenges AOC, Raising Key Concerns Regarding EMS Superiority

Alan Shaffer, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S)

Alan Shaffer, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S), wasted no time in making his presence known to the symposium attendees of AOC 56. Shaffer opened up by taking a couple of good-natured jabs at the previous keynote remarks of AOC President, "Muddy" Watters. In so doing, he also challenged the overall AOC.

Noting that he likes to "come out and challenge folks," Shaffer chided Watters with, "You didn't reference the point that I think matters the most in today's world. I didn't hear the word agility, and I didn't hear the word speed. Today, we are at the point where we are in a contest for digital supremacy and we have to go faster. For me, controlling data means controlling the EMS, but we have to figure out how to upgrade systems faster – how do you maintain capability in a world where you have to be able to rapidly upgrade?"

Next, he took issue with Watters' statement regarding the knowledge level of 'people in positions of authority that don't understand what we do.' Here, he also challenged the AOC community. "I think people do understand the value of EW. I certainly do, but we have to be much more careful about not just talking about the technology, but rather what is the impact. This week there will be a lot of talk about technology, but you need to be able to couch that in terms of what capability is delivered against what systems."

Shaffer was also keen to call attention to the current and increasing capabilities of near-peer adversaries, such as Russia and China. We are in a fight for the EMS, and I'm not sure we're winning. There are a number of things in the competition of great powers." Referencing China's stealing of intellectual property (IP) as one of those things, Shaffer said that "what we have is a major adversary that doesn't play by Western standards – that will use whatever means to gain a technological advantage by using someone else's development."

Coming back to his point regarding the need for speed and agility in the acquisition and fielding of capabilities, Shaffer raised other challenges that must be addressed by the EMS community. Referencing acquisition at the 'speed of relevance,' he asked, "how do you deliver a capability in an acquisition system that is designed to deliver chunks in ten-year increments when technology moves on at 18 months?" Shaffer says his office is redoing their 5000 series ,which governs their acquisition processes. "The reason for this is agility. We will still have some major-capability things that we will buy in the traditional 5000 series approach, but we now have a mid-tier acquisition process that allows us to go out and prototype either a technology or a production prototype within a five-year time horizon without going through the formal requirements process. That's a huge deal. If we can start to develop things in less than five-year chunks for demonstration and fielding, we'll start to get some of this agility. I see no reason why, using mid-tier acquisition, that we can't get things out within six months to two years. Help us get there." –  John Haystead