T he 2022 National Defense Strategy directs the DoD to “act with urgency to build enduring advantages for the future Joint Force … accelerate force de- velopment, [and procure] the technology we need more quickly.” The words urgency , accelerate , and quickly explicitly point to “the need for speed” in acquisition. In his Jan. 25, 2025, “Message to
UCA and MTA pathways, the empha- sis on quickly fielding operationally relevant capability presents signifi- cant challenges for the PSM. Despite the challenges and regardless of path- way, PSMs are responsible to the pro- gram manager (PM) for their role in life cycle management, from system inception to disposal. Accordingly, this article provides potential strat- egies for PSMs, in concert with the product support policy for these path- ways provided in DoD Instruction (DoDI) 5000.91 , to achieve speed with discipline . Background Before we dive in, let’s do a quick refresher on the characteristics of the UCA and MTA pathways (including the MTA’s two “subpathways” of rapid prototyping and rapid fielding). UCA programs deliver capability within two years. They focus on use of proven available technologies and do not require substantial develop- ment. A PSM is recommended for UCA programs. DoDI 5000.81 calls for the PM to provide training, spares, technical data, software, facilities and infrastructure, support equipment, maintenance, and other logistics sup- port such as Field Service Representa- tives (FSRs). UCA programs require a “supportability strategy” (e.g., Prod- uct Support Strategy, or PSS) and a “sustainment plan” approved by the Milestone Decision Authority at the production milestone. MTA Rapid Prototyping (MTA-RP) programs deliver capability within five years. To rapidly develop fieldable prototypes, they use innovative tech- nologies that are demonstrated in an operational environment and provide a residual operational capability. A PSM is required for RP programs. DoDI 5000.80 calls for the PSM to implement sustainment programs addressing ap- plicable Integrated Product Support
the Force,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cited three ways to achieve DoD’s mission of peace through strength—including rebuilding our military, which requires “rapidly field- ing emerging technologies.” Two of the Defense Acquisi- tion System’s Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF) pathways are spe- cifically designed to quickly deliver capability to the Warfighter. These are the Urgent Capability Acquisition (UCA) and Middle Tier of Acquisi- tion (MTA) pathways. (Note: The Software Acquisition Pathway also emphasizes speed, but this article focuses on hardware-centric weapon systems.) In concert with these path- ways (and all pathways), DoD Directive 5000.01 emphasizes the need to take the following actions: • Employ a disciplined approach— including use of baselines, control objectives, and an appropriate level of reporting. • Plan for product support— includ- ing a business case analysis, sup- port metrics, and best use of public (government) and private sector (contractor) support. Planning for product support is, not surprisingly, the responsibility of the product support manager (PSM). PSMs are the senior Life Cycle Logis- tics (LCL) functional leaders within programs and are responsible by stat- ute (10 U.S.C. § 4324) for managing the package of support functions required to field and maintain the readiness and operational capability of weapon systems. The DoD Product Support Manager (PSM) Guidebook calls for “a disciplined design for support approach.” This emphasizes the need to design sys- tems that are reliable, maintainable, and can be effectively and afford- ably sustained. However, for the
Despite the challenges and regardless of pathway, PSMs are responsible to the program manager (PM) for their role in life cycle management,
from system inception to disposal.
(IPS) elements. RP programs require a Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) but not as an entrance criterion. MTA Rapid Fielding (MTA-RF) programs begin production within six months and complete within five years. They use proven technologies to field production quantities of new or upgraded systems with minimal development. A PSM is required for RF programs. DoDI 5000.80 calls for the PSM to implement sustainment programs addressing applicable IPS elements. RP programs do require an LCSP as an entrance criterion. Speed With Discipline “Speed With Discipline” is a princi- ple adopted by several DoD acquisition
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