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A recent initiative to accommodate joint urgent operational needs is codified in
CJCSI 3470.01 (July 15, 2005). It establishes policy and procedures to facilitate
procurement of urgent, execution-year combatant commander needs outside of the DoD
5000 series process, specifically for programs of ACAT II level or below. Generally, these
are considered to be life- or combat mission-threatening needs, which were previously
unforeseen and that are now required to be fulfilled within months versus years.
While this new process is not intended to replace the JCIDS process of formal
requirements development, it is meant to accelerate the fielding of readily available systems
for wartime use. Each of the services has a similar initiative for rapid response or
accelerated deployment capability using COTS or Nondevelopmental Items (NDI). One
such example is the Army’s Warfighter Rapid Acquisition Program (WRAP). It is a fund of
approximately $100 million per year that the Army uses to rapidly procure relatively low-cost
but high-leverage systems that performed well in experimentation. The WRAP effort has
reportedly reduced acquisition cycle-time for systems procured by an average of 12 months.
The Marine Corps and the Air Force∗ have established similar rapid acquisition programs in
FY 2001 and FY 2002, respectively (ADR, 2000).
In keeping with the aspect of timeliness as it relates to transaction procedures and
governance, we have also noted above that commercial availability can serve as an
important factor. Likewise, within the realm of system development, technology maturity (or
“readiness”) levels dictate the appropriate RDT&E funding categories to be employed, and
determine whether progression into advanced development or production is warranted.
Technology Readiness Levels (see Table 4 below) are measures used to assess the
maturity of evolving technologies prior their incorporation into a system. This characteristic
can be viewed as addressing both timeliness and customer quality-of-use or degree of
technical performance. Usually, when new technologies emerge, they are not suitable for
immediate application. Both hardware and software typically go through a process of
experimentation, refinement, and increasingly rigorous testing until they are considered
mature enough to be applied by end-users in military applications. The scale below is now
used by the DoD to assess maturity before the Department commits to further investments
in technology. This paradigm correlates well to a scale of increasing certainty or declining
uncertainty. For example, depending on a trade-off between urgency of the requirement and
cost, it may be desirous for technology to be at a 6 or 7 rating on the scale before
commencing an advanced development (system-level development and demonstration)
program.
∗ Air Force Instruction 10-602 defines their Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) procedures for “any system or
equipment that will or must be deployed (dictated by mission requirements) in a period of time that does not
allow for routine planning, budgeting, and procurement. Deployment may occur with less than a complete
support package. However, special provisions shall be made to effect lifecycle support.”
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