Its Time to Retire Acquisition Debt

In software engineering, technical debt—outdated code, shortcuts, or neglected systems—slows innovation, inflates costs, and invites risks. The Department of War (DoW) faces a similar challenge: acquisition debt. This burden, rooted in legacy processes and obsolete systems, undermines the DoD’s ability to deliver cutting-edge capabilities at the speed of modern threats. Just as coders refactor to streamline software, the DoD must retire its acquisition debt to stay ahead.

Acquisition Debt can manifest in two key ways:

1. Organizational Debt: Bureaucratic fiefdoms, outdated incentives, and cumbersome processes create inefficiencies that mirror the drag of technical debt in software.

2. Capability Debt: Clinging to aging systems—hard to update and misaligned with today’s fast-evolving threats—limits agility and interoperability.

Like technical debt, acquisition debt compounds over time. Every rigid contract, slow approval process, or obsolete platform consumes resources, delays delivery, and weakens the joint force.

The Burden of Acquisition Debt

Acquisition debt isn’t just a bureaucratic nuisance—it’s a strategic liability. Consider these impacts:

• Talent Drain: Frustrating tools and processes drive tech-savvy professionals to apathy or out of government service.

• Delayed Delivery: Endless reviews and certifications mean new systems arrive late or underperform.

• Cost Overruns: Inefficient processes siphon funds from critical innovation.

• Stagnant Pipeline: Failure to divest outdated systems crowds out investment in modern, adaptable platforms.

• Obsolescence: Proprietary, tightly coupled designs make upgrades slow and costly, leaving systems vulnerable to rapidly evolving threats.

The stakes are stark. A recent CSIS report projects China’s Navy will outnumber the U.S. by 50% by 2030, with over half of its 2,000+ aircraft now 4.5th or 5th generation. Meanwhile, the DoW spends $110-120B annually maintaining decades-old systems, diverting funds from next-generation capabilities.

A Roadmap to Retire Acquisition Debt

The DoD can’t afford to let acquisition debt fester. Here’s a three-step plan to tackle it:

1. Assess the Problem

Software developers measure technical debt to target corrective actions effectively. Similarly, the DoD must prioritize comprehensive assessments to address its organizational, process, and capability challenges.

On the organizational and process side, existing assessments—including our own—highlight clear issues, such as fragmented portfolios, weak baselines, bureaucratic processes, and misaligned incentives. These provide a solid foundation for progress.

However, on the capability side, more work is needed. While Combatant Commands (CCMDs) have articulated operational needs and documented capability gaps, a DoD-wide assessment is still fragmented and often platform-biased. Recent changes, such as the stand-down of JCIDS, help strengthen mission engineering focus, allowing for