Bill Greenwalt and Dan Patt
A wave of efficiency talk has arrived in Washington, epitomized by the Department of Government Efficiency now roaming the halls of the Pentagon. But as policymakers examine how government actually functions, it’s becoming clear that the goal shouldn’t merely be cost savings, but higher competence.
One glaring example stands ready for immediate action: the Pentagon’s sclerotic joint requirements process. In a new Hudson Institute report, “Required to Fail,” we outline the need to immediately put this process out of its misery.
For over two decades, the Defense Department has labored under a bureaucratic ritual known as JCIDS — the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System. Created with noble intentions, this process has devolved into a crushing administrative burden that actively impedes America’s military modernization. Far from ensuring strategic alignment or joint warfighting capabilities, JCIDS has become a bureaucratic priesthood fixated on formatting, enthralled by committees, and divorced from tangible warfighting needs.
The numbers tell a damning story. It takes over two years just to get a military requirement approved through this system. During that time, technology evolves, threats advance, and opportunities evaporate. While China rapidly fields new capabilities, and commercial technology cycles span mere months, America’s military remains trapped in endless document reviews and formatting refinements.
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