John G. Ferrari, Elaine McCusker & Todd Harrison
Four forces acting on the Pentagon this year could fundamentally improve its organization, weapons procurement, operational support, and personnel management. Specific recommendations for the first of these forces, the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), started with a February 2025 working paper. 1 The second and third forces, budget reconciliation that will set defense spending levels and the nature of America’s strategic leadership in the world, will be covered in future papers. This paper will continue specific recommendations for DOGE as it explores the fourth dynamic, opportunities to overhaul the defense industrial base, supply chain and military technology advancements, that could, and should, change how America equips its warfighters.
To start, a quick look back will help illuminate where we are, and what is likely to happen next if we don’t change course.
In the early 1990s, the DoD made a decision that set the trajectory for American defense production. Then-Secretary of Defense Les Aspin convened a meeting with major defense industry leaders, now famously known as the “Last Supper,” to warn them that the end of the Cold War meant drastic reductions in military spending. The deeper message was clear: the government would support industry consolidation and companies would have to downsize and merge, or perish.2
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