Exposing DoD’s Billion-Dollar Procurement Problem with Warren Katz

What if the DoD could be as agile as a tech startup?

In this week’s episode of Defense Mavericks, Ryan Connell chats with Warren Katz, chairman of the Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government, to explore the challenges and inefficiencies in the DoD’s acquisition processes.

They discuss promising reforms, including the Restoring Freedom’s Forge Act, and compare Ukraine’s rapid adoption of commercial technologies. Warren explains why aligning incentives and creating a culture of rapid innovation is key to fixing DoD’s procurement challenges.

Additionally, Warren discusses the role of venture capitalists in defense innovation and real-world examples of success and failure in acquisition reform.

Tune in now and discover how the DoD can become an agile, innovation-driven organization.

Key Takeaways:

(00:00) Introduction 

(01:09) Warren Katz's advocacy for reform

(07:19) The impact of DoD’s outdated requirements process

(12:03) Lessons from Ukraine’s rapid innovation

(18:09) The Restoring Freedom’s Forge Act

(25:37) Reforming DoD incentives for innovation

(33:13) Success stories and missed opportunities

(36:49) Call for leadership changes in the Pentagon

Additional Resources:

👉Follow Ryan Connell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-connell-8413a03a/

👉Learn, acquire, and deliver tech on Tradewinds here: https://www.tradewindai.com/

👉Visit CDAO for updates: https://www.ai.mil/

👉Follow us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6MLAqMOVnLWbmB5yZbZ9lC

👉Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseMavericks

Connect with today’s guest:

💥Follow Warren Katz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenkatz/

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Defense Mavericks is a podcast that uncovers the untapped potential of AI within the federal government through authentic and disruptive conversations with our nation’s brightest minds.

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