One of the major issues that prompted Congress to create the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform was its impact on technology transition. One notable issue is the failure of technology transition over the “valley of death” between experimental projects and programs of record. For example, the October 2021 Department of Defense Prototyping Handbook finds that “The PPBE process takes nearly two years from the time a funding need is identified to the time funding is available. In the fast-paced world of technology development, this lag in funding can prevent the timely development and deployment of a capability needed to address an emerging threat.”
- What prevents use of existing program funds for new solutions to a requirement?
- Is there a cycle-time mismatch between PPBE reform and the rate of change in commercial technologies?
- What sources of execution flexibility, such as in reprogramming, innovation funds, or otherwise, can provide near-term solutions to tech transition? What would replace them as long-term solutions?
- Is there a conflict between congressional needs for transparency and oversight when DoD adopts a more agile approach? What levers of control through the budget will Congress protect?