Over the past few years, the Department of Defense (DoD) has undertaken a major effort to encourage non-traditional defense companies to do business with the Pentagon. These are firms of all sizes and types that do not provide defense-specific goods or services. The idea is that DoD acquisition can benefit not only from access to the unique products such companies produce but from their alternative approaches to design, production and sustainment. The Pentagon’s interest in accessing non-traditional providers has focused to a large extent on small, innovative companies. Large commercial companies, including major manufacturers such as Boeing and General Motors, can provide the U.S. military with new products and to procure them in large volumes as needed. I have written a commentary on this subject here.
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