LAUREN C. WILLIAMS
The Defense Department is a sclerotic monopsony whose communist approach to acquisition has the United States on a precipice, writes Palantir’s chief technology officer, who prescribes a “painful” but “necessary” reformation based on competition and software.
“I think we're just scratching the surface,” said Shyam Sankar, whose company calls itself the first software prime contractor. “The other huge opportunity is really on using AI to drive efficiencies,” including using technology to supplant human workers and processes that slow innovation and adoption.
Sankar recently penned 18 theses that could reform how the Pentagon does business, in explicit comparison to Martin Luther’s criticisms of the Catholic Church. He highlights several well-documented problems often studied by congressionally mandated commissions—such as a belabored budgeting-and-planning process, the perils of requirements, and how cost-plus contracts remove incentives to innovate.
The 18-page document also manages to say the quiet part out loud, demanding the Pentagon and Congress to change its practices with colorful curtness. One of Sankar’s main themes is the need for competition—whether it’s companies vying for Pentagon contracts or customers in the Defense Department looking for solutions.
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