Mapping the EOs, Memos, and Actions

Unraveling the policies transforming the DoD and federal procurement.

Navigating the intricate landscape of executive orders, DoD memos, and policy actions driving transformation in defense, federal acquisitions, and government efficiency can be daunting for insiders and outsiders alike. We’ve distilled the complexity into a clear, concise roadmap, connecting the dots to reveal the bigger picture and empower you with the insights needed to stay ahead.

Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base

Purpose

Ensure that the U.S. military possesses the most lethal warfighting capabilities in the world. The defense acquisition workforce is a national strategic asset that will be decisive in any conflict, where the factory floor can be just as significant as the battlefield. In order to strengthen our military edge, America must deliver state‐of‐the‐art capabilities at speed and scale through a comprehensive overhaul of this system.

Policy

To accelerate defense procurement and revitalize the defense industrial base to restore peace through strength. The U.S. will rapidly reform our antiquated defense acquisition processes with an emphasis on speed, flexibility, and execution. We will also modernize the duties and composition of the defense acquisition workforce, as well as incentivize and reward risk-taking and innovation from these personnel.

Acquisition Process Reform

Within 60 days, submit a plan to reform the DoD’s acquisition processes that:

• Use existing authorities to expediate acquisitions including a first preference for commercial solutions, Other Transactions Authority, application of Rapid Capabilities Office policies, and other authorities or pathways to streamline acquisitions under the Adaptive Acquisition Framework.

• Review each functional area within the acquisition workforce to eliminate unnecessary tasks, reduce duplicative approvals, and centralize decision-making.

• A detailed process for USD(A&S) and SAEs effectively manage program risk through Configuration Steering Boards.

Internal Regulations Review

Review and propose revisions to relevant DoD acquisition instructions, implementation guides, manuals, and regulations.

• Eliminate or revise any unnecessary supplemental regulations or any other internal guidance such as the Financial Management Regulation and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement.

• Promoted expedited and streamlined acquisition. Apply the 10-1 rule for new supplemental regulations or internal guidance (delete 10 to add any 1.

Acquisition Workforce Reform

Within 120 days, develop and submit a plan for reforming, right-sizing, and training the acquisition workforce that includes:

• Restructuring performance evaluation metrics for the workforce to include demonstrating applying commercial solutions considerations, adaptive acquisition pathways, and iterative requirements based on the end user perspective.

• Analysis of acquisition workforce staff levels required to develop, deliver, and sustain warfighting capabilities.

• Establishment of field training teams by USD(A&S), led by senior acquisition executives or managers with expertise in innovative acquisition authorities and commercial solutions.

• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and tools to incentivize acquisition officials to use innovative acquisition authorities and take measured risks.

Major Defense Acquisition Program Review

Within 90 days, complete a comprehensive review of all Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) to determine if any are inconsistent with the policy objectives in section 2 to include:

• Any program more than 15% behind schedule based on current APB, 15% over cost, unable to meet any key performance parameters, or unaligned with SECDEF’s mission priorities will be considered for potential cancellation. SECDEF shall submit the potential cancellation list to the OMB Director.

• Provide a list of all MDAP contracts and performance against original and approved government cost estimates to the OMB Director.

• Provide a plan to review all remaining major systems that are not MDAPs.

Requirements

Complete a comprehensive review of the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System within 180 days with the goal of streamlining and accelerating acquisition.

Definitions

The term “commercial solutions” means any of the methods for procurement of a commercial product or service described in FAR Part 12, DFARS Subpart 212.2 or 212.70, or other industry solutions funded by private investment that meet military needs.

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Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement

Purpose

More than 40 years ago, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) was implemented to establish uniform procedures for acquisition across departments and agencies. The vision of the FAR is to deliver on a timely basis the best value product or service to the customer, while maintaining the public’s trust and fulfilling public policy objectives. But the FAR has swelled to > 2,000 pages of regulations, evolving into an excessive and overcomplicated regulatory framework resulting in an onerous bureaucracy. Experts conclude the FAR is a barrier to, rather than a prudent vehicle for doing business with the Federal Government.

Policy

To create the most agile, effective, and efficient procurement system possible. Removing undue barriers, such as unnecessary regulations, while simultaneously allowing for the expansion of the national and defense industrial bases is paramount. The FAR should contain only provisions required by statute or essential to sound procurement, and remove any FAR provisions that do not advance these objectives.

Reforming the FAR

Within 180 days, officials shall amend the FAR to ensure it contains only provisions that are required by statute or that are otherwise necessary to support simplicity and usability, strengthen the efficacy of the procurement system, or protect economic or national security interests.

Aligning Agency FAR Supplementals

Each agency shall ensure alignment with FAR reforms and provide recommendations regarding any agency-specific FAR supplemental regulations. Ensure consistency and alignment of policy objectives and implementation regarding FAR changes and supplementals. Promote expedited and streamlined acquisitions.

Regulatory Sunset

Identify all non statutory required FAR provisions, consider a four year expiration of them as well as any new provision unless renewed by the FAR council.

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Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective Solutions in Federal Contracts

Purpose

Eliminate unnecessary and imprudent expenditures of taxpayer dollars. Enforce existing laws directing the Federal Government to utilize, to the maximum extent practicable, the competitive marketplace and the innovations of private enterprise to provide better, more cost-effective services to taxpayers.

Policy

Agencies shall procure commercially available products and services, including those that can be modified to fill agencies’ needs, to the maximum extent practicable, including pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994.

Review of Pending Actions

Within 60 days, each agency’s contracting officers shall review all open solicitations, pre-solicitations, and sole source notices for non-commercial products or services. Each contracting officer shall consolidate each into a proposed application requesting approval for the purchase of the non-commercial products and services and the rational for pursuing a Government-unique, custom-developed, or otherwise non-commercial product or service.

Each approval authority shall assess the application’s compliance with FASA including market research and price analysis sufficiency and take appropriate action to any deficiencies. They shall recommend to advance solicitation of commercial products or services where sufficient. Report to OMB Director the agency’s compliance with FASA and progress to implement the polices of this order.

Oversight of Non-Commercial Procurements

Whenever an agency proposes to solicit a non-commercial product or service, the contracting officer shall provide the approval authority with description, justification, market research, and price analysis. The official shall approve or deny the proposal in writing. The approval authority may seek input from the OMB Director.

OSD(A&S)/DPCAP Memo Implementing this Executive Order

• We are redoubling our willingness to identify and use of commercially available products and services it should not be about casting truly non-commercial products or services as “commercial” for the purpose of misapplying policies and procedures unique to the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services.

• Requiring activities, program managers, and contracting officers must work together to identify commercial solutions to fulfill DoD mission requirements.

• Contracting officers can no longer independently determine whether a commercial product or service is sufficient to satisfy a requirement owner’s need.

• In accordance with the executive order, this approval authority will belong to the senior procurement executives, but can be passed down to general officers, flag officers or members of the SES.

• Contracting officers will review all pending FAR actions for prime contract awards for non-commercial products or services at or above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold.

• Program managers and requirement owners will further be mandated to submit a request for approval to procure non-commercial products or services under FAR-based prime contracts.

OUSD(A&S)/DPCAP Memo Implementing the Anything-as-a-Service Pilot Program

The FY24 NDAA Section 809 directed DoD to establish a pilot program for Anything-as-a-Service.

The pilot program explores Product and Service Codes for SaaS, DaaS, and (Office) Space-as-a-Service. Contracts approved for the pilot program are exempt from providing certified cost or pricing data as well as full and open competition for mods to add new features or capabilities < 25% of total contract value.

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Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement

Purpose

The Federal Government spends approximately $490B per year on federal contracts for common goods and services, making it the largest buyer in the world. These standardized procurement functions should be carried out in the most efficient and effective manner possible for the American taxpayer. It is time to return the General Services Administration to its original purpose, rather than continuing to have multiple agencies and agency subcomponents separately carry out these same functions in an uncoordinated and less economical fashion.

Procurement Consolidation

Within 60 days agencies shall submit proposals to have GSA conduct domestic procurement with respect to common goods and services for the agency, where permitted by law.

Within 90 days, the GSA administrator shall submit a comprehensive plan to the OMB Director for GSA to procure common goods and services across the Government.

Within 30 days, the OMB Director shall designate the GSA Administrator as the executive agent for all Government-wide acquisition contracts for IT. They shall identify and eliminate duplicative or redundant contracts and other inefficiencies.

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Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform

To build a leaner, more lethal force, the Army must transform at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems.

• The Army must prioritize investments in accordance with the Administration's strategy, ensuring existing resources are prioritized to improve long-range precision fires, air and missile defense including through the Golden Dome for America, cyber, electronic warfare, and counter-space capabilities.

• Secretary of the Army is directed to

  • Field long-range missiles capable of striking moving land and maritime targets by 2027.

  • Achieve electromagnetic and air-littoral dominance by 2027.

  • Enable AI-driven C2 at Theater, Corps, and Division headquarters by 2027.

  • Extend advanced manufacturing, including 3D printing and additive manufacturing, to operational units by 2026.

  • Modernize the organic industrial base to generate the ammunition stockpiles necessary to sustain national defense during wartime by implementing 21st-century production capabilities, with full operational capability by 2028.

• Eliminate Wasteful Programs

  • End procurement of obsolete systems, and cancel or scale back ineffective or redundant programs.

  • Reduce spending on legacy sustainment, including outdated weapons systems.

• Merge headquarters to generate combat power capable of synchronizing kinetic and non-kinetic fires, spaced-based capabilities, and unmanned systems.

• Merge Army Futures Command and TRADOC into one command.

• Merge Forces Command, U.S. Army North, U.S. Army South into a single HQ.

• Acquisition Reform and Budget Optimization

  • Work with OSD Comptroller to consolidate Budget Lines and shift from program centric funding to capability-based funding across critical portfolios (e.g., UAS, Counter UAS, EW) to ensure rapid tech adaptation.

  • Expand the use of Other Transaction agreements to enable faster prototyping and fielding of critical technologies

  • Reform contracting processes to improve efficiency: Implement performance-based contracting to reduce waste. Expand multi-year procurement agreements when cost-effective.

Letter to the Force: Army Transformation Initiative

Dan Driscoll, SecArmy and GEN Randy George, CSA

• This initiative will reexamine all requirements and eliminate unnecessary ones, ruthlessly prioritize fighting formations to directly contribute to lethality, and empower leaders at echelon to make hard calls to ensure resources align with strategic objectives.

• To achieve this, ATI comprises three lines of effort:

  • Deliver critical warfighting capabilities

  • Optimize our force structure

  • Eliminate waste and obsolete programs.

• ATI builds upon our Transformation in Contact (TiC) effort, which prototypes organizational changes and integrates emerging technology into formations to innovate, learn, refine requirements, and develop solutions faster.

• Our focus is on filling combat formations with Soldiers. Every role must sharpen the spear or be cut away. We are eliminating 1,000 staff positions at HQDA.

• We will cancel procurement of outdated crewed attack aircraft such as the AH-64D, excess ground vehicles like the HMMWV and JLTV, and obsolete UAVs like the Gray Eagle.

• We will also continue to cancel programs that deliver dated, late-to-need, overpriced, or difficult-to-maintain capabilities.

• Yesterday's weapons will not win tomorrow's wars.

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Implementing the DOGE Cost Efficiency Initiative

Purpose

A transformation in Federal spending on contracts, grants, and loans to ensure Government spending is transparent and Government employees are accountable to the American public.

Cutting Costs to Save Taxpayers Money

Each agency head with assistance from DOGE team lead, build a centralized system within the agency to seamlessly record every payment issued by the agency’s covered contracts and grants along with a brief written justification for each payment submitted by the agency employee who approved the payment. The system shall include a mechanism for the Agency Head to pause and rapidly review any payment for which the approving employee has not submitted a justification in the system.

Additional reviews of non-essential travel justification, credit card freeze, and real property disposition.

SECDEF Memo Implementing this Executive Order

• DoD Components may not execute new IT Consulting or Management Services contracts or task orders with integrators or consultants without first justifying that no element can be accomplished by existing DoD agencies or personnel or acquired from the direct service provider whereby the prime contractor is not an integrator or consultant.

  • Prior to executing new contracts, Components must obtain approval from the DSD or designee with appropriate justification and analysis.

  • Contracts directly supporting weapon system programs and sustainment or under $10M are excluded.

• DoD Components may not execute new contracts or task orders for Advisory and Assistance Services without prior approval by the Deputy Secretary or designee.

  • Components must prioritize in-house expertise and capabilities first. Excluded are SETA contracts in support of systems architecture, engineering and MDAP support or contracts under $1M.

• DoD Components shall maximize employee utilization when performed by a mix of DoD employees and contractors. Contractors should be used only for non-inherently governmental, no existing DoD employees have the capacity or skills, it cannot address through hiring, training of current workforce.

SECDEF Memo: Implementing this Executive Order: Contract Guidance

DOGE will review all the PWS/SOWs, estimates, deliverables, and requirements approval documents prior to initiating a procurement. This includes and change orders or contract mods that will increase the price. If DOGS does not respond to a package review within two business days, the procurement should proceed as normal.

Initial implementation will focus on communications; advisory and assistance services, and IT services.

SECDEF Memo: Continuing Elimination of Wasteful Spending at the DoD

Pursuant to my commitment to strategically rebuild our military, restore accountability to the Department, cut wasteful spending, and implement the President's orders, effective immediately, I direct the termination of the following IT services contracts:

• DHA contract for consulting services from Accenture, Deloitte, and Booz Allen.

• Air Force contract w/Accenture to re-sell third party Enterprise Cloud IT Services.

• Navy contract for business process consulting services.

• DARPA contract for IT Helpdesk Services, duplicative to DISA support.

Direct DoD CIO and DOGE to prepare a plan to in-source IT consulting and management services to our civilian workforce; negotiate rate on software and cloud services, and complete an audit by Apr 18, 2025 on DOD software licensing.

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Workforce Acceleration and Recapitalization

SECDEF Memo: General/Flag Officer Reductions

To ensure lethality of U.S. Military Forces, we must cultivate exceptional senior leaders who drive innovation and operational excellence, unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and performance. A critical step is removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions. Therefore, I direct:

• A minimum 20% reduction of 4-star positions across the Active Component

• A minimum 20% reduction of general officers in the National Guard

• An additional minimum 10% reduction in general and flag officers with the realignment of the Unified Command Plan.

SECDEF Memo: Initiating the Workforce Acceleration and Recapitalization Initiative

To urgently rebuild our military, revive the warrior ethos, and deliver maximum deterrence, we must aggressively refocus every available resource towards our core mission. We will realign the size of our civilian workforce and strategically restructure it to supercharge our American warfighters consistent with my interim National Defense Strategy guidance.

DoD civilians already support mission-critical requirements, but an honest analysis will reveal opportunities to consolidate duplicative functions, reject excessive bureaucracy, and implement technological solutions that automate routine tasks, particularly at the headquarters level. The net effect will be a reduction in the number of civilian full-time equivalent positions, and increased resources in the areas where we need them most.

USD(P&R) will immediately open the DoD Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) and offer the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority to all eligible DoD civilian employees.

Service Secretaries, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Agency Directors, and Principal Staff Assistants will provide a proposed future-state organizational chart that includes functional areas, consolidated management hierarchy, position titles, and counts.

DEPSECDEF Memo: Workforce Acceleration and Recapitalization Initiative Organizational Review

This initiative will begin with a detailed analysis of the organizational structure of all DoD Components. This evaluation will result in an enhanced organizational design and an allocation of manpower that boosts readiness, capability, and efficiency across the Department.

The proposed future-state organizational charts are the first step in this campaign. The proposals prepared as part of the preliminary review should communicate potential opportunities to reduce or eliminate redundant or non-essential functions and include adjusted civilian manpower levels that reflect these projected changes.

Guiding Principles for DoD Workforce Optimization

• Mission-First Alignment

• Consolidated Functions

• Flattened Hierarchies

• Speed Over Process

• Fiscal Discipline

• No Vestiges of the Past

• Digital-First Operations

To successfully deter America's adversaries and posture our Forces to prevail in combat, we must focus our efforts and our resources on our top priorities. Optimizing the organizational structure and civilian workforce of the DoD is foundational to that effort.

Reorganization of the DOT&E Office

DOT&E is consolidated to only the statutory functions. It will be reduced to one SES, 15 military, and 30 civilian positions with the remainder of the government personnel to be RIFd or returned to the Military Departments. DOT&E is also ending contracts for all contractor personnel within seven days. Mr. Carroll “Rick” Quade is the new PTDO for DOT&E. These actions will save >$300M per year.

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Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability

Purpose

The U.S. must maintain the world’s strongest and most technologically advanced military through a dynamic defense industrial base, coupled with a robust network of capable partners and allies. A rapid and transparent foreign defense sales system that enables effective defense cooperation between the U.S. and our chosen partners is foundational to these objectives.

Policy

• Improve accountability and transparency.

• Consolidate parallel decision-making.

• Reduce rules and regulations.

• Increase government-industry collaboration in FMS.

• Advance U.S. competitiveness abroad, revitalize the defense industrial base, and lower unit costs for the U.S. and our allies and partners.

Implementation

State and Defense shall implement National Security Presidential Memo 10 of Apr 19, 2018 on U.S. Conventional Arms Transfer Policy. Revaluate restrictions imposed by the Middle Technology Control Regime, and submit a letter to Congress on updating statutory congressional certifications under FMS and direct commercial sales.

• Develop a list of priority partners for conventional arms transfers and issue updated guidance.

• Develop a list of priority end-items for potential transfer to priority partners.

• Ensure they strengthen allied burden-sharing of the cost of end-item production and increasing allies’ capacity to meet targets independently.

• Review and update list annually.

• Submit a plan to improve transparency, accountability metrics, and secure exportability as a requirement in the early stages of acquisition processes.

Recent International Cooperation Efforts

• Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR) Fact Sheet

• Joint Vision Statement on U.S. Philippine Defense Industrial Cooperation

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Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance

Purpose

The commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce of the United States has been weakened by decades of Government neglect, leading to the decline of a once strong industrial base while simultaneously empowering our adversaries and eroding U.S. national security.

Rectifying these issues requires a comprehensive approach that includes securing consistent, predictable, and durable Federal funding, making United States-flagged and built vessels commercially competitive in international commerce, rebuilding America’s maritime manufacturing capabilities (the Maritime Industrial Base), and expanding and strengthening the recruitment, training, and retention of the relevant workforce.

It is the policy of the U.S. to revitalize and rebuild domestic maritime industries and workforce to promote national security and economic prosperity.

Maritime Action Plan (MAP)

Within 210 days various executives across EOP, State, Defense, Commerce, Labor, Treasury, Homeland Security, and USTR shall submit a Maritime Action Plan (MAP).

Ensure the Security and Resilience of the MIB.

Within 180 days, SECDEF and others shall an assessment of options for using DPA Title III authorities and use of private capital to the maximum extent possible to invest in and expand the MIB to include, but not limited to, investment and expansion of commercial and defense shipbuilding capabilities, component supply chains, ship repair and marine transportation capabilities, port infrastructure, and the adjacent workforce. SECDEF shall pursue using the Office of Strategic Capital loan program to improve the shipbuilding industrial base.

Improve Procurement Efficiency

Within 90 days develop a proposal for improved acquisition strategies processes for US Government vessels. Providing American shipbuilders with market forecasting needed to justify investments in infrastructure, workforce, and IP. Include reforms to staff structure and innovation in acquisition strategies, reduction in approval layers, eliminate excessive requirements and reviews, consider use of broad industry standards and American-made readily available parts and components.

Shipbuilding Review

Within 45 days, conduct a review of shipbuilding for U.S. Government use and recommendations to increase the number of participants and competitors, reduce cost overruns and production delays for surface, subsurface, and unmanned programs.

Regulatory Initiatives

Within 30 days, review regulations and implementation thereof for domestic commercial maritime fleet and port access to reduce unnecessary costs and clear barriers to emerging technologies and related efficiencies.

Note: There are many other sections in this EO pertaining to other agencies.

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Unmanned Aerial Systems

Executive Order on Restoring American Aerospace Sovereignty

It is the policy of the United States to ensure control over our national airspace and to protect the public, critical infrastructure, mass gathering events, and military and sensitive government installations and operations from threats posed by the careless or unlawful use of UAS.

Executive Order; Unleashing American Drone Dominance

The U.S. must accelerate the safe commercialization of drone technologies and fully integrate UAS into the National Airspace System. The time has come to accelerate testing and to enable routine drone operations, scale up domestic production, and expand the export of trusted, American-manufactured drone technologies to global markets.

• FAA shall issue proposed rules on Beyond Visual Line of Sight for UAS.

• FAA shall use AI tools to assist and expedite review of UAS waiver applications.

• FAA publish a roadmap for integration of civil UAS into the NAS.

• Ensure FAA UAS test ranges are fully used to support development, test, scaling.

• Establish eVTOL pilot program to being operations within 90 days.

• Strengthen American Drone Industrial Base - prioritize U.S. manufactured UAS.

• Promote export of American-made civil UAS to include loans, financing, credits.

• DoD must procure, integrate, and train with low-cost U.S. made drones.

• Ensure all on DIU’s Blue UAS list can operate on military installations and range.

We will maintain this as a page on the Substack menu with updates as new executive orders, DoD policies, and implementation are known.

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