Page 37 - FCW, August 2020

technology, and at least initially, we saw that priority reflected in DOD’s budget requests,” he said. However, losing the department’s top advocates could signal a decline in funding for those initiatives.
DOD has increased its R&D dollars in recent budget cycles, with Griffin and Porter steering that change. Dwyer said that since DOD split the acquisition, technology and logistics organization into two entities — acquisition and sustainment, and research and engineering — the latter’s job has been to advocate for new technology investments.
“In the coming months, DOD will finalize its \[fiscal 2022\] budget request,” he added. “However, without Griffin or Porter at the helm, new technology won’t
have a strong, Senate-confirmed advocate during this process, and without that type of leadership, I think it is unlikely that the RDT&E budget will enjoy the same priority that it did when \[it\] was led by Senate-confirmed officials.”
In addition, the dual departures mean that a relatively new organization will be left to run somewhat on autopilot. “Griffin and Porter were also responsible for staffing up a new office, establishing its culture and processes, and figuring out the most effective way to engage with the established Pentagon bureaucracy,” Dwyer said, adding that it’s unlikely the work has been completed.
As a result, employees “will be forced to work through organizational growing pains with
temporary leadership, which I can only assume will make their jobs harder,” he said.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced acting replacements for Griffin and Porter in July. (See “Kratsios to take over DOD’s top research role,” page 38.)
‘Something going on
under the surface’
Interim leaders and short stints for permanent appointees have become the norm during the Trump administration. But the ongoing tumult in national security positions, particularly in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), is alarming to many experts.
Stan Soloway, former deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition reform, told FCW the timing of the departures definitely
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