Rapid Prototyping, Acquisition and Deployment of Technology Pushed Weapon Systems Using Nontraditional Acquisition Processes

With the explosion of technology driven systems and their ability to effectively meet military operational need it is imperative we in the acquisition community have the ability to rapidly acquire, deploy and support these potential life saving technological advancements. This paper will explore five non-traditional acquisition processes and use case studies to clarify and outline a defined process to best get new technology into the operators' hands in the most time efficient manner possible. This paper includes a description of the traditional acquisition process, five non-traditional acquisition processes, and the criteria a program must meet to gain access to these processes. The culmination of this effort is the identification and development of a rapid technology pushed weapon system acquisition and deployment checklist/process, and lessons learned from the Project Angel Fire and Predator case studies.