Officials, Industry Cite Acquisition Hurdles and Environmental Limitations
As the Army accelerates its adoption of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions, officials and industry experts are identifying significant challenges in the acquisition process and limitations in applying COTS products to ground vehicles.
Business as Usual? Acquisition Process Faces Scrutiny
Tom Vern, an official with the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center, noted that the push for COTS integration „confronts both the way we do business as well as the way we acquire systems or features for those systems.” Existing military vehicles are often not designed to accommodate COTS systems, hindering their integration and incremental improvement.
Open Architectures: A Paramount Need
Mike Milner, Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at American Rheinmetall Vehicles, emphasized the need for the Pentagon to prioritize flexible, open architectures. He argued that „integrating costs into legacy products without an open architecture will be very difficult without some sort of application,” underscoring the government’s role in setting the architectural foundation.
Environmental Realities: COTS Products Put to the Test
The demanding environments in which ground platforms operate pose further challenges for COTS integration. Commercial parts often lack the ruggedness required to function effectively in extreme temperatures or icy, sandy, and humid conditions.
Strategic COTS Integration: Pick Your Spots
Chris Orlowski, Anduril’s Associate Director of Land Systems, advised the military to be selective in its COTS integration efforts. „We don’t use a tank for everything, and we shouldn’t use a COTS product for everything,” he cautioned.
Capabilities and Objectives: Mindful Integration
Pete Johnson, VP of Business Development for Integrated Vehicles at GM Defense, stressed the importance of industry’s role in being „mindful of what our capabilities are and, obviously, make sure we understand what the warfighters are and their objectives.”
Clear Communication: Bridging the Knowledge Gap
Increasing the adoption of commercial solutions requires providing operators with clear and easily understandable information about the capability and its uses. Orlowski emphasized the need for briefs to clearly communicate „This is what it can do. This is where you probably shouldn’t use it,” to avoid challenges stemming from omission, deception, or lack of understanding.
Soldier Feedback: An Ongoing Imperative
Gathering user feedback and recommendations is crucial for defining procurement requirements and promoting the adoption of cutting-edge solutions. Tim George, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, ND Defense LLC, asserted that „soldier feedback is even more critical” regarding the use of COTS, advocating for „an ongoing process” of engagement before development.
Army Adaptation: Streamlining the Process
Vern stated that the US Army has been working „through a number of changes, trying to move faster to adopt COTS, trying to shift standards and publication standards.”
Industry Collaboration: A Call for Innovation
Industry is also striving to improve its processes. George emphasized the need to be „faster and absolutely have to be more collaborative,” encouraging collaboration with „small, innovative companies” to integrate them into the defense ecosystem.
