T he Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) is coming into its own for broader use with the evolution and development of its governing policies, including several clarifications issued late last year. This option deserves greater understanding and broader use.
On Nov. 23, 2015, the MTA was born with the signing of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). For over two years, it remained dormant as the focus on the Global War on Terror- ism continued and our presidential administration changed. During that time, Congress made some subtle changes in the FY 2017 and FY 2018 NDAAs, but implementation and even awareness among the Defense Acqui- sition Workforce remained minimal.
This culminated in a Congressional Joint Explanatory Statement noting that the DoD had not acted on its new authority. These congressional promptings led to MTA’s arrival on the DoD scene in April 2018 when Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sus- tainment (USD[A&S]) Ellen Lord published her memorandum, “Middle Tier of Acquisition (Rapid Prototyping/Rapid Fielding) Interim Authority and Guidance.” This not only authorized but encouraged
the DoD Components to “immedi- ately further implement the Section 804 authority by developing rapid prototyping and fielding processes and procedures.” Some Service Acquisition Execu- tives, like Dr. Will Roper at the U.S. Air Force (USAF), embraced the new authority in his April 10, 2018, memo, “Seven Steps for Incorporating Rapid Prototyp- ing into Acquisition,” writing that “our new authorities provide so many tools to be creative; using them should rou-
18 | DEFENSE ACQUISITION | May-June 2025
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