Pitting defense industry primes vs newcomers only helps America’s enemies

The United States is facing the most complex and technologically sophisticated pacing threat in modern memory. Confronting this challenge is not a simple false dichotomy between the industrial titans that have powered American defense for decades and the innovative trailblazers from Silicon Valley and Austin.

The answer is that we need both.

"Instead of pitting one side against the other, our acquisition policy must reflect an all-of-industry approach. It must incentivize the participation of all qualified contributors, both those who can deliver capability at scale and those who can accelerate innovation, with the end goal of providing the best systems for the American warfighter that money can buy," writes Kojac.

Read the full op-ed.