The Pentagon’s New Acquisition Diet: Less Bureaucracy, More Swagger
It started, as most federal shakeups do, with a signature, a pen, and a podium flanked by too many flags. On April 9, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14192: “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base.”
If that sounds like a lot of words to say “DoD, go faster,” you’re not wrong.
But in true Trumpian fashion, it wasn’t just a policy. It was a statement. A dare. A late-stage sequel to acquisition reform efforts going back to Goldwater-Nichols, with less red tape and more red meat.
“Cancel it. Fix it. Or move it to the private sector.”
At the heart of EO 14192 is a not-so-gentle command: The Pentagon is to review every Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP)—you know, the big ones, the billion-dollar behemoths that fund entire congressional districts—and determine if they’re behind schedule or over budget.
If they are? The EO says to cancel, accelerate, or privatize. Not adjust. Not rebaseline. Cancel. Like a 2004 sitcom.
To do this, the Secretary of Defense has 90 days to compile a list of every MDAP and report their original cost and schedule baselines—along with how reality has laughed in their face since.
Meanwhile, the DoD must also deliver a 60-day plan to overhaul its acquisition system. Because nothing says “nimble reform” like giving the world’s largest bureaucracy two months to reinvent how it spends $800 billion a year.
Commercial First, Bureaucracy Last
The EO also directs the Pentagon to
“Utilization of existing authorities to expedite acquisitions throughout the Department of Defense, including a first preference for commercial solutions and a general preference for Other Transactions Authority, application of Rapid Capabilities Office policies, or any other authorities or pathways to promote streamlined acquisitions under the Adaptive Acquisition Framework.”
In practice, that means:
Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs)—previously niche, now marquee players.
The Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF)—long admired, rarely used, now mandatory.
Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) (Part of AAF)—once a sandbox, now the foundation.
Think of it as the DoD being told to stop writing bespoke sonnets and just buy the greatest hits off the shelf. That doesn’t mean mission-tailored capability goes away. It just means the department must try to buy faster than the enemy innovates. Novel concept.
And if you’re wondering whether this shift extends to how acquisition personnel are evaluated—yes, it does. The EO calls for an overhaul of workforce responsibilities, centralized authority, eliminating outdated functions, which one may read as “rewarding responsible risk-taking.”
Which, in a federal system that has long valued process adherence over outcome delivery, is either revolutionary… or heresy.
Workforce, Meet Wrench
If you’re a program manager hoping to coast into retirement after three decades of deciding between Cost Plus and Fixed Fee, buckle up. EO 14192 is coming for your metrics.
The order implies that acquisition workforce evaluations will now include:
Innovation.
Efficiency.
Use of streamlined tools.
In other words: doing more with less, faster, and with fewer acronyms. (Okay, maybe not the last one. This is still the federal government.)
Meanwhile, in a Parallel Universe… GSA Waits in the Wings
Here’s where it gets really interesting.
Just months before EO 14192, the administration issued another executive order tasking the General Services Administration (GSA) with centralizing IT procurement across the federal enterprise. The goal? Consolidate redundant GWACs and schedule vehicles under GSA’s comparatively svelte banner.
That EO implied, quite ambitiously, that DoD procurement—at least for IT—could one day be housed under GSA’s roof. In theory, a noble effort. In practice? The Pentagon is more likely to share a toothbrush than its procurement authority.
EO 14192 all but throws cold water on that vision. By reinforcing the need for DoD-specific speed, flexibility, and control, the administration has signaled that the Pentagon’s acquisition processes aren’t just different—they’re sacred. Sacred in the sense that they must be reformed constantly, but only internally, and with the blessing of a hundred stakeholders.
So What Does It All Mean?
Program managers, vendors, and Beltway denizens—here’s your executive summary:
Commercial tech has never looked more attractive. If you’re selling proven, scalable solutions, the DoD is now required to consider you first.
OTAs and MTA are about to explode in popularity. Learn them. Use them. Just don’t pretend they solve everything.
GSA won’t be taking over DoD IT procurement anytime soon. The Pentagon is doubling down on speed and autonomy, not centralization.
Everyone from contracting officers to C-suite executives needs to relearn the rules. Because the rules just changed.
Final Thought
If there’s a version of heaven for acquisition professionals, it likely involves clearly written requirements, concise FAR clauses, and a world where no one ever says, “we need a J&A for that.” But here on Earth, we navigate shifting directives, evolving priorities, and policies that require equal parts interpretation and patience.
This latest Executive Order? It’s part disruption, part opportunity—and, if carried out with intent and clarity, maybe even a step toward meaningful change.
Because in the end, reform isn’t about perfecting procurement. It’s about making it less painful, more purposeful, and maybe even a little faster.
And in the world of federal acquisition, that’s as close to transformation as we get.
Written with strong coffee and a few earned scars.
For deeper guidance, reach out to discuss.
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