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'This Is A National Security Emergency': Mike Rogers Warns That U.S. Can't Make Weapons Fast Enough
Forbes Breaking News
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5 months ago
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing before the Congressional recess, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) spoke about the defense acquisition capabilities of the U.S. to counter China.
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00:00
The committee will come to order. The United States faces the most dangerous
00:05
security environment since World War II. China is rapidly expanding its military
00:10
power. It can field advanced systems in a matter of months. By contrast, in the
00:16
United States, it takes more than a decade to deliver needed new capability
00:19
to our warfighters. By that time, the threat has changed, the costs have
00:23
ballooned, and the solution is outdated. The reality is that our defense
00:27
acquisition system is failing the American warfighter. That's not just my
00:32
view. Nearly every combatant commander who's testified before this committee
00:36
this year said the same. Moreover, defense companies of all sizes tell us they face
00:42
a maze of red tape, bureaucratic delays, and a risk-averse culture at the department
00:48
that deters innovation. This helps explain why the number of prime contractors in
00:54
our country has dropped from 51 to now six. Meanwhile, excessive regulations and
01:02
fears of losing privately funded IP are driving away commercial firms and
01:06
startups and making VCs think twice about investing in defense tech. For those
01:12
that do press ahead, too often the game-changing technologies languish in the
01:18
notorious valley of death, never reaching full-scale production. The cumulative effect
01:24
is a hollowed-out, uncompetitive defense industrial base. This is a national
01:30
security emergency. If we're serious about achieving President Trump's peace
01:35
through strength agenda, it's not enough to spend more. We have to make every dollar
01:39
count. The reconciliation package President Trump recently passed in the law
01:43
was a critical first step in restoring the level of investment that our defense
01:49
industry needs. But even if we raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, as I've urged, it
01:57
won't make a difference unless we fix this broken acquisition system. That's why, along
02:02
with my good friend, the ranking member, introduced the Bipartisan Speed Act, which
02:07
is now the cornerstone of the FY26 NDA passed by this committee last week. The Speed Act
02:13
will cut through layers of red tape and deliver for the warfighter at a speed
02:17
and scale. It accelerates the requirements process from nearly three
02:23
years to as few as 90 days. It empowers program executive officers and gives them
02:28
greater budget flexibility. It prioritizes commercial solutions and fosters an
02:33
environment where innovation can flourish by removing barriers to entry and
02:38
bridging the valley of death. It modernizes outdated and overly burdensome
02:43
regulations that slow delivery and inflate costs. It promotes a data as a service
02:48
model that gives the department access to the technical data it needs to sustain
02:53
its systems while preserving the intellectual capital of the American
02:56
industry. It creates the Defense Industrial Resilience Consortium, bringing
03:02
industry to the table to address challenges from supply chain fragility to
03:06
restoring surge capacity. And most importantly, it drives much-needed cultural
03:12
change. No more rewarding paper pushers over problem solvers. The Speed Act fosters a
03:20
culture of agility and responsible risk-taking where failing fast and
03:26
learning quickly is seen as progress, not as a career killer. Let's be honest, past
03:32
reforms have failed. However, I believe this time is different. The White House, the
03:38
Pentagon, Congress, and industry are all demanding change. I commend President Trump
03:44
for calling on the department to urgently modernize defense acquisition and
03:47
streamline overly burdensome regulations. Mr. Duffy, we want to hear from you on how
03:53
the department is acting on that directive to deliver to the warfighter and I look
03:57
forward to testing to discussing how we can align our efforts to fix the defense
04:01
acquisition system and ensure the United States, the U.S. Armed Forces are the
04:05
world's most lethal fighting force or remain that way.
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