In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, two senior members of the House Armed Services Committee introduced legislation Monday aimed at overhauling the defense acquisition process.

The goal: to eliminate red tape and deliver vital military systems and technology to America’s warfighters at a much faster pace.

The proposal, formally titled the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery Act, or SPEED Act, is spearheaded by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.).

Their joint effort reflects a shared urgency to address a procurement system they describe as sluggish and dangerously outmoded.

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“The current [system] is too slow, rigid, and bureaucratic to meet today’s urgent needs,” Rogers and Smith wrote in a summary of the bill provided to reporters.

“The requirements process alone can take well over two years. This is followed by a rigid budget process that adds another three years, and then a lengthy contracting process.

“All told, more than a decade can pass between identifying a capability gap to equipping our warfighters with a solution. By then, the threat has changed, the technology is outdated, and the program is over budget.”

The SPEED Act proposes the establishment of a new central hub—the Requirements, Acquisition, and Programming Integration Directorate (RAPID)—which would streamline how the Pentagon evaluates, approves, and procures new systems.

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Image Credit: US House

RAPID would be led by top-level defense officials and be granted expanded authority to swiftly test and purchase critical military capabilities.

Supporters of the legislation argue that these reforms could dramatically shorten the average time it takes to validate and approve defense programs—from roughly 800 days to as little as three months.

But the proposal isn’t just about cost-efficiency or cutting red tape.

Rogers and Smith contend that the current procurement structure—“optimized to avoid failure, rather than to rapidly deliver capabilities to the warfighter”—has become a liability in today’s fast-moving geopolitical environment.

It poses a real risk to national security, particularly if the U.S. were to face a prolonged conflict and be forced to rely on a defense industrial base that lacks adequate surge capacity.

In recent months, both Congress and the Biden administration have taken steps to address this issue. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced the Fostering Reform and Government Efficiency in Defense (FORGED) Act late last year, which also targets procurement reform.

Meanwhile, the White House announced its own initiative in April, acknowledging that “our defense acquisition system does not provide the speed and flexibility our armed forces need to have decisive advantages in the future.”

Despite some overlap, House officials maintain that there is no inherent conflict between the SPEED Act and Wicker’s FORGED Act.

Instead, they anticipate the various proposals will be merged into a single, comprehensive reform package during the legislative process.

The first step in that effort is expected to take place within the House Armed Services Committee in the coming weeks, when lawmakers begin drafting the annual defense authorization bill.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which has passed for more than 60 consecutive years, is one of the few consistent legislative vehicles in an increasingly polarized Congress.

Rogers and Wicker are expected to collaborate throughout the summer to develop compromise language that aligns both House and Senate priorities.

Still, officials caution that no matter how effective the reforms may be on paper, real progress will also require significant investment.

Boosting the defense industrial base—and ensuring it has the capacity to meet future demands—will come at a cost. Lawmakers hope that such funding will be approved as part of ongoing budget discussions.

The SPEED Act marks a meaningful attempt to not only modernize the acquisition process but to make the U.S. military more agile and better equipped to handle tomorrow’s threats.

In an era where global adversaries are innovating rapidly, proponents argue that America cannot afford to let bureaucracy stand in the way of national defense.

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