Defense policy bill would bring the biggest organizational changes in 30 years

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

The fiscal 2017 defense policy bill includes several provisions that will change the organizational structure of the military and get at some of the Goldwater-Nichols reform that leaders on Capitol Hill have been pushing all year.

 

The changes included in the compromise bill, which will be considered in the House on Friday, range from a restructuring of the Pentagon's acquisition department to reducing how long a member of the military must serve in a joint billet to advance.

 

One of the biggest changes to organizational structure comes in the acquisition, technology and logistics arena to create one position to take risks in technology and another to minimize risks in business.

 

The bill creates three new positions by February 2018: an undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, an undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a chief management officer. The goal of the changes is to promote innovation, foster a culture that will get better technology into troops' hands faster, and provide greater oversight of the acquisition process.