Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
28 April 2021
Select excerpt from June 2021: SHIELDWatch Newsletter
In April 2021, the Department of Defense Office of Acquisition and Sustainment released its 2020 annual report to highlight its achievements in data and vignettes. Each accomplishment aligns with the framework of the U.S. National Defense Strategy, which has the following lines of effort: restore military readiness as we build a more lethal force; expand and strengthen alliances and partnerships; and bring business reform to the Department of Defense. In 2020, OUSD (A&S) achieved that across a spectrum of activities including small business support, cybersecurity, and CFIUS reviews.
This document aims to convey how A&S and the Department as a whole have successfully implemented the NDS over the last year and the measurable impact we have created, as illustrated by data and specific examples of our efforts over the last year.
OUSD (A&S) is proud to submit our inaugural annual historical record – the first of many. We believe that our efforts in 2020 have led to transformational changes for the Department, efforts we expect to have a long-lasting, positive impact for our Warfighters.
Industrial Policy – Ensuring robust, secure, resilient, and innovative industrial capabilities upon which DoD can rely in an era of great power competition to fulfill current and future Warfighter requirements.
Industrial Base Council
The IBC was reconstituted to pursue a DoD-wide approach to address shared Industrial base issues and vulnerabilities based on the risk framework outlines in Executive Order 13806, Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States. The IBC efforts align national defense priorities to ensure industrial base readiness and resiliency, and provide governance on resource and policy decisions from defense-wide industrial base risk mitigation strategies.
International Cooperation – Strengthening key international partnerships to improve interoperability and sharpen the Warfighter’s technological edge
Defense Trade Modernization
In conjunction with OSD, ASD (A), and numerous industry stakeholders, IC completed 32 of 37 critical actions the Department can take internally to better align our conventional arms transfers with our national security interests. This Defense Trade Modernization (DTM) effort is addressing the dynamic tension between the necessity to protect our technological edge and the need to equip our partners and allies with cutting-edge capability. Its four areas of focus include:
- Exportability: Increasing the competitiveness of U.S.-made systems by building exportability into design and development.
- Releasability: Updating DoD’s technology release framework, including revising outdated policies and processes.
- Market Space/Interoperability: Working with partners and allies to identify critical capability requirements and expediting transfers that support these imperatives.
- Industrial Capacity: Incentivizing increased industrial production capacity to facilitate timely delivery of systems to our partners and allies.
Information and Cybersecurity – Innovating ways to measure and mitigate cyber risk to mission throughout the acquisition and sustainment lifecycle.
Trusted Capital Marketplace
Launched in December, the Trusted Capital Marketplace has over 75 companies and 30 capital providers participating. Each has undergone a rigorous due diligence process before their acceptance into the marketplace to ensure foreign ownership, control, and influence was nonexistent. Trusted finance partners applied via the Trusted Capital landing page, and technology innovation providers all received a recommendation to the program after being selected by one of the Services through our rapid acquisition channels.
Want to read more? Check out the June 2021: SHIELDWatch Newsletter
