U.S. Military Urged to Modernize Procurement Practices Based on Ukrainian Experience

Colonel Rachel Hogland of the U.S. Army has published an article emphasizing the need for American military forces to adopt practices for rapid modernization of weaponry, drawing on her experiences in Ukraine.

Hogland points out that Ukrainian engineers can swiftly address challenges posed by Russian electronic warfare systems, often implementing solutions in a matter of hours or days. In contrast, the U.S. Army's multi-tiered review processes can delay the deployment of similar adaptations for up to two years.

She advocates for testing U.S. technologies against current Russian electronic warfare tools to evaluate both their performance and the speed of rectifying identified issues. Hogland stresses that the speed of weapon modernization should be a key criterion in selecting defense contractors.

Furthermore, she calls for a shift in the Pentagon’s approach to testing and failure, urging a focus on rapid learning and adaptation to improve performance rather than punishing unsuccessful attempts. Hogland warns that the U.S. risks falling behind not due to a lack of advanced technology, but because of its slow pace in adapting and enhancing capabilities in response to the evolving landscape of warfare.

Source: mwi.westpoint.edu