A Graphic Depiction Of How Fouled-Up The Defense Acquisition System Is

The way the Pentagon buys weapons isn’t just broke, it’s baroque — way too complicated to function efficiently. If you doubt that, check out this chart used by the Defense Acquisition University to introduce students to the intricacies of the military procurement system.

Policymakers say they need to hire 20,000 more bureaucrats to make this system work. Actually, the bureaucrats are the problem. What the Pentagon really needs is a simpler process that delivers weapons to warfighters faster. If policymakers want the acquisition system to be more efficient, they should focus on streamlining the system so it can produce results at least 25 percent sooner than it currently does. After all, time is money.