AUGUST 8, 2026 – The War Department is striving to reform acquisition so industry can produce at scale the systems, munitions and materiel needed for warfighters to fight and win.
Last week, Michael P. Duffey, undersecretary of war for acquisition and sustainment, and Michael T. Powers, acting undersecretary of war comptroller, signed an open letter to the defense industrial base and the acquisition community, inviting them to provide input on ways to streamline data and audit requirements related to business systems, as part of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s arsenal of freedom acquisition transformation strategy.
Hegseth’s strategy calls for maximizing acquisition flexibility by reducing and eliminating burdensome and unnecessary regulations and processes, as well as incentivizing opportunities to work with the department and to reduce costs for industry partners.
The letter encourages industry partners to offer suggestions for simplifying these requirements.
Through his arsenal of freedom effort, Hegseth has been working closely with industry partners to rebuild America’s military might, including the defense industrial base and government-owned depots — the organic industrial base — which manufacture munitions, as well as repair and refurbish weapon systems like tanks and helicopters.
The point of contact for submitting input is Jennifer Quinones at: dcaa.belvoir.hq.mbx.casa@mail.mil, and the deadline for submissions is Aug. 31.
By David Vergun
Pentagon News