Crossing the Valley of Death Faster and More Often with Bigger Outcomes

Abstract

Faced with acquiring technological capabilities for the U.S. Department of the Navy (DON), traditional contracting methods are burdensome, often inhibiting agencies across the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) from delivering solutions at the speed of the mission. In 2024, major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs) take an average of 11 years to reach initial operational capacity and middle tier acquisition (MTA) programs, intended to be completed in 5 years, report delays to key milestones (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2024). And while there is some evidence that the DON is averaging closer to 36 months for initial operational capacity, in the context of rapidly changing solutions that impact warfighter readiness, momentum is still a concern (RAND, 2012). To accelerate tech acquisition, adoption, and achieve information superiority, the DON Program Executive Office (PEO) Digital Technical Director’s Office has implemented a new acquisition strategy using value-driven investment methods. The authors found that use of this strategy reduced acquisition timelines by 18 months and improved mission value contribution by $2 billion annually. Adoption of this acquisition approach may yield similar results at other DOD service-branch program executive offices and improve mission outcomes.