Pentagon Lagging in Weapons Innovations, Experts Demand Urgent Overhaul

The U.S. Pentagon is falling behind its adversaries when it comes to modernizing its weapons systems, with experts warning that delays could jeopardize national security. At the National Security Innovation Base Summit last week, the Pentagon received a dismal "D" grade for its modernization efforts, a rating that even lawmakers found hard to refute.

"Progress lives in the private sector, and we're not seeing enough progress in the public sector," Tara Dougherty, CEO of Govini, stated bluntly. She argued that the defense department needs a "massive kick in the pants" to match the pace of innovation seen in the tech and investor communities. Her sentiment was echoed by House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Rob Wittman, who admitted, "I think the score is a deserved score, unfortunately."

Wittman didn't hold back in his critique of the Pentagon's glacial pace, likening it to the outdated operational model of "the Ford Motor Company of the 1950s." He described a bureaucracy bogged down in years-long processes for requirements, acquisitions, and program development, leaving the U.S. perpetually behind emerging threats. Wittman declared the need for the Pentagon to embrace the agility of "Apple 2025." Now, that’s a glow-up we’d all want to see.

One area where the lag is particularly glaring is shipbuilding. The U.S. Navy operates just 295 deployable ships, well short of the 390 needed by 2054 according to its shipbuilding plan. The Maritime Security Program, which oversees privately owned military-use ships for wartime, is down to a fleet of only 60. Wittman warned, "It's precipitously low. We could not get to where we need to be in the Pacific right now if we needed to." Ouch.

Even former President Donald Trump has reportedly been losing sleep over this issue, with his nominee for Navy Secretary, John Phelan, revealing that Trump often sends him late-night texts about "rusty ships or ships in a yard." During a recent speech, Trump announced the creation of a White House Office of Shipbuilding, vowing to revitalize the nation’s ship production capacity. "We used to make so many ships," Trump lamented. "We’re going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact." Let’s hope so—because right now, it’s looking like a Titanic-sized problem.

Other defense leaders stressed the urgency of adapting to rapid innovation cycles. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., noted that while the U.S. operates on a one-year innovation cycle, Ukraine is innovating on a weekly basis amid its conflict with Russia. "There are simply no demand signals being sent," Crow said, emphasizing the need for bipartisan political will to push the Pentagon toward faster action.

The F-35 fighter jet program, initiated a staggering 25 years ago, was cited as an example of the Pentagon’s sluggish progress. The aircraft is only now entering full-scale production, but even the newest jets will require additional upgrades for cutting-edge capabilities like 360-degree motion sensors. Wittman pointed out that current jets won’t be equipped with the latest technical hardware until early next year. Talk about running a marathon in slow motion.

Cybersecurity also emerged as a critical concern. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., warned that China has an edge in cyber capabilities, posing a serious risk to U.S. national security. "It only takes one or two incursions that we don’t see coming to make an enormous difference," she cautioned. Meanwhile, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., called for more aggressive cyber strategies, arguing that the U.S. needs to "fight fire with fire" and take the offensive against cyber adversaries like China and Russia.

The Pentagon has initiated a review of its contracting procedures, issuing a memo to streamline policies and improve efficiency. But as Wittman concluded, "It’s process, process, process, not outcomes." For a department tasked with safeguarding the nation, that’s a chilling reality check.