Thomas "Shotgun" Browning, performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities (ASD(MC)) OUSD(R&E)

Building the Base

In this episode of Building the Base, hosts Lauren Bedula and Hondo Geurts chat with Thomas "Shotgun" Browning, currently performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities, to share insights on modernizing defense technology acquisition. Drawing from his experience as a fighter pilot and DARPA innovator, Browning discusses programs like RAIDER, APFIT, and Replicator, explaining how these initiatives are bridging capability gaps and accelerating the delivery of new technologies to warfighters while fostering closer collaboration between industry, operators, and acquisition teams.

5 Key Takeaways:
1. The "valley of death" in defense technology is primarily an information challenge rather than a fiscal one, requiring better communication of needs and capabilities across stakeholders.

2. Success in defense innovation requires understanding that the true customer includes not just end users, but also the requirements writers and acquisition professionals who enable procurement.

3. The DoD is creating new frameworks like the Technology Modernization Transition Review (TMTR) to better align requirements, acquisition, and capability development across services.

4. Effective transition of new technologies requires "relentless engagement" and creating a compelling body of evidence to justify rapid acquisition and deployment.

5. The future of defense acquisition relies on breaking down silos between technologists, operators, and acquirers while maintaining open architectures that enable integration of new capabilities.

Quotes:
"Transition is a full contact sport if you really do want to take a new capability and get it into the field rapidly. It takes relentless engagement."

"Very few of the bureaucratic rules are stupid. They may be interpreted badly right now, but all of them were created over the bumps and bruises of time."