CATEGORY: INNOVATION IN OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Breaking the Mold: Accelerating Kill Chain Capabilities Through the Valley of Death The Joint Fires Network (JFN) as a Model for Rapid Joint Acquisition B Y SEAN BRADY BLUF: Instead of becoming a victim of the acquisition system’s most persistent Valley of Death obstacles, A&S teamed with R&E and INDOPACOM to overcome them and accelerate the INDOPACOM Commander’s priority JFN prototype into an enduring joint acquisition by 3-5 years (turning historically years-long processes into days). This achievement earned DSW and VCJCS recognition as an exemplar for joint acquisition to be institutionalized DoW-wide. The Context. In response to Congress, in Feb 2024, ADM Paparo, the Commander of USINDOPACOM, identified the key areas that must be improved for the joint force to prevail in a potential conflict: “Specifically, the joint force requires capabilities to blind (Counter - Command, Control, Computing, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tar- geting (C-C5ISRT)), see (persistent real-time awareness of the battlespace in all domains) and kill (long-range precision fire enabled Joint Fires Network).” 1 He further stated that “delivering advanced capabilities like the JFN is crucial to bolstering deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.” 2 The Mission. JFN initiated as a USW(R&E) rapid prototype in 2023 to synchronize effects across the battlespace, integrate Combatant Command (CCMD) fires globally, and enable decision superiority (including weapon-target pairing) at speed and scale. It provides a Persistent Targeting Common Operating Picture and enables Commanders to efficiently execute the kill chain. Despite being an INDOPACOM top priority, JFN faced significant acquisition and transition challenges. The Challenge. Early in prototyping, after being briefed the proposed acquisition way forward in late 2023, then INDOPACOM Commander, ADM Acquilino challenged the team to greatly accelerate transition; go beyond status quo acquisition and JCIDS processes; and to “think, act, and operate differently.” JFN faced daunting Valley of Death barriers that too often delay or kill DoW S&T prototype transitions into acquisition – JFN had: • no validated requirement (and no operational sponsor); • no willing transition partner; and • no inputs into the rigid Pentagon budget cycle (designed in 1961). Issues with these processes compound one another and historically play out over multiple years. JFN needed them complete in months to secure the resources needed to deliver and scale. JFN’s joint nature only intensified the challenge. JFN had to design a truly joint acquisition responsive to the CCMD: JFN is a key mission application of joint all-domain com- mand and control, enabling decision advantage to close the kill chain. As a pathfinder enabling new ways of fighting jointly, JFN forced a new way of acquiring without footsteps to follow. The CCMD needed assurances to address concerns that acquisition
is often stovepiped within Services and too slow to keep pace with CCMD needs. Figure 1. The Valley of Death in the DoW Source: DoW Software Cadre
Source. DoW Software Cadre The Response. The Commander refused to tolerate status quo acquisition, driving A&S to adopt drastically different methods to meet the CCMD’s schedule. The Assistant Secretary of War for Mission Capabilities appointed A&S’s Director of Software Acquisition and DoW Software Cadre as the JFN Transition Manager (XM) to lead a record-setting transition. Collaborating with INDOPACOM and R&E, A&S
JULY – AUGUST 2026 | DEFENSE ACQUISITION MAGAZINE 35
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker