5 Cyber-deterrence hampered by the military acquisitions process

5

According to military experts, “current acquisition rules are hampering their ability to respond quickly to a growing number of cyber-attacks the U.S” (Shalal 2014).  Acquisitions rules, meant to encourage competitive bidding among big and small enterprises, have created a bottle neck of sorts in the fight against these threats.  “Current acquisition programs take about two years to initiate and execute”, says Kristina Harrington, director of the signals intelligence directorate and the National Reconnaissance Office.  This would require that a focused mission to combat cyber-threats take a different approach.  Two years is a life time in the cyber world and any solution that is implemented would more than likely be obsolete.
The NRO, for those that aren’t familiar, is the premier builder of spy satellites for the U.S military.  They were researching the possibility of using umbrella contracts which would give it more flexibility to respond to cyber-threats.  These contracts would serve as a “one stop shop” for all things cyber-security related.  It would also provide the autonomy that companies would need in order to complete their missions.  The current acquisition model, which applies well to fighter and warships, albeit still plagued by cost overruns and scope creep, simply does not work in the cyber-security realm.  The technology and the threats from cyber-crimes are always evolving which would also mean that the acquisition process needs to evolve as well in order to be properly safe-guarded against these threats.
References:
Shalal, A (2014). Military rules hamper U.S. efforts to fight cyber-crime. Retrieved from https://kgmi.com/news/030030-military-rules-hamper-u-s-efforts-to-fight-cyber-crime/

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