In this episode, I sit down with Frank Kendall and talk about one of the biggest traps in defense procurement — the endless search for "acquisition magic." Frank exposes why every few years, someone promises a revolutionary new system to fix everything — and why those reforms almost always fail. From $30 billion MRAP programs that saved lives but were later abandoned, to R&D overruns averaging 25%, he lays out a brutally honest framework for how the government should manage risk, cost, and speed the right way.
Key Takeaways:
There's no such thing as acquisition magic — sustainable improvement comes from training, data, and risk management.
The MRAP program cost $30B but proved that taking calculated risk can save lives when done strategically.
Defense R&D programs average 25% overruns — but smart leadership can bring that down to 10% without killing innovation.
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