Trump Defense Pick Wants Faster Tech Procurement

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary Pete Hegseth might give new vision for the Pentagon’s desire to acquire technology more quickly to stay ahead of key adversaries like China.

One of Trump’s primary focuses during his campaign has been to curb bureaucracy in the federal government. In a recent interview with the Shawn Ryan Show podcast, Hegseth similarly criticized defense contracting.

“The way we procure weapon systems [is too slow] … how the speed of weapons procurement works, we’re always a decade behind in fighting the last war,” said Hegseth.

The sentiment is not a new one. The Defense Department has long introduced efforts to overcome what it calls the “valley of death” when innovative technology from the commercial sector stalls in the contracting process and never makes it to a formalized program.

One of its newest plans is a modular procurement approach to how it buys and scales artificial intelligence.

The agency also elevated its Defense Innovation Unit last year to accelerate adoption of commercial technology throughout the military.

Also, current leadership aims to take lessons from the Replicator program that enables buying technology more quickly to make the process repeatable across the enterprise.

China’s Pacing Threat

Hegseth noted the importance of China’s threat that the military services have consistently emphasized as a “pacing threat.” He told Ryan on the podcast that countering China’s technology is critical to the Pentagon’s posture.

“China’s building an army specifically dedicated to defeating the United States of America. That is their strategic outset,” said Hegseth. “They have a full spectrum, long-term view of not just regional, but global domination. … They want to corner the market completely on the technological future.”

Hegseth echoed Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti’s recent comments about autonomous systems, citing drone operations in the Middle East as “close from heaven” and praising new technology as critical in moving the military forward.

The author and Fox News host has no senior military management experience, but is a veteran of the Army National Guard and has served as an infantry officer deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth is anticipated to advocate for domestic manufacturing of military hardware and technology, reducing reliance on foreign firms. He cited cybersecurity threats from Chinese hardware in his interview with Ryan.

“China produces all of our transformers, all our solar, all of our wind [chips and technology], and we don’t even check it for malware or Trojan horses,” said Hegseth. “You can’t even drive our cars without the stuff we need out of China these days.”

Prior to his work with Fox News, Hegseth was involved in veterans’ advocacy. He served as the executive director of Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.