Defense & Aerospace · Policy Lab
Defense Procurement
A public research route covering institutions, existing frameworks, possible interventions, and open policy questions.
How to interpret these labels
Urgency is a qualitative editorial assessment of time sensitivity and potential severity in the underlying working research. Addressability is a qualitative assessment of whether identifiable institutions and public interventions may materially affect the issue. The labels are research triage categories; they are not measured forecasts, comparative rankings, or recommendations. Recheck both classifications against current primary sources before use.
Possible public intervention
Fixed-price contracting expansion. Independent cost estimation reform. Milestone-based payment structures. Acquisition workforce professionalization.
Institutions to examine
- DOD
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Institution abbreviations
- GAO
- U.S. Government Accountability Office
- CBO
- Congressional Budget Office
Existing frameworks and precedents
- Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
- Goldwater-Nichols Act
- Nunn-McCurdy breach reporting
Open policy gap
Cost-plus contracting structurally rewards cost escalation. The F-35: $1.7T lifetime cost. The contractor profits more when the project costs more.
Legislative and policy forums
- Armed Services
- Appropriations
- Security & Defence
Continue the research
Use Reform Pathfinder to locate jurisdiction-specific institutions and possible action paths. Use the public glossary for terminology and the selected publications for public evidence and methods.
Research-use notice. This material is for research and educational use. Information may be incomplete or out of date. Verify primary sources, current law, institutional authority, source dates, and local applicability before acting. This site does not provide legal, financial, investment, regulatory, or implementation advice.