Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Modernizes Defense Acquisitions and Spurs Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base

OVERHAULING THE ACQUISITION SYSTEM: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order modernizing defense acquisitions and spurring innovation in the defense industrial base.

- The Order directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to reform our acquisition process by: (1) using existing authorities to expedite acquisitions, such as a first preference for commercial solutions; (2) cutting unnecessary tasks, reducing duplicative approvals, and centralizing decision making; and (3) managing risk while encouraging innovation.

- The Secretary of Defense will review internal Department of Defense (DoD) regulations with the intent to eliminate any unnecessary supplemental regulations and promote expedited and streamlined acquisitions.

- The Secretary of Defense will also submit a plan to reform, right-size, and train the acquisition workforce by focusing performance evaluations on how well the employee uses efficient procurement methods and takes calculated risks in order to innovate.

- All Major Defense Acquisitions Programs (MDAPs) will be reviewed to determine consistency with this new policy based on speed, flexibility, and execution.

Any program more than 15% behind schedule or 15% over cost will be scrutinized for cancellation.

- Any program more than 15% behind schedule or 15% over cost will be scrutinized for cancellation.

STRENGTHENING OUR MILITARY EDGE: After years of mismanagement and inertia, President Trump is reprioritizing our defense acquisition system.

- America’s defense acquisition workforce is a national strategic asset critical to maintaining military superiority, and its personnel must deliver on enhancing warfighting capabilities rather than being bogged down with bureaucratic procedures.

- For decades, mountains of red tape have stifled innovation and slowed the defense industrial base’s ability to respond to emerging global threats and even basic requirements.The new Air Force One is now five years behind schedule, delayed until 2029 or later, despite the contract being awarded in 2018.Nine Navy ship programs (not just individual ships, but the entire procurement program) are between one and three years behind schedule.The first flight of the Air Force’s new ICBM, the Sentinel, is already two years behind schedule and 37% more expensive than originally promised.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis is in port for a scheduled overhaul and refueling stint—work that normally takes four years to complete—yet the carrier now won’t be ready for at least another year, marking over five years out of service.

- The new Air Force One is now five years behind schedule, delayed until 2029 or later, despite the contract being awarded in 2018.

- Nine Navy ship programs (not just individual ships, but the entire procurement program) are between one and three years behind schedule.

- The first flight of the Air Force’s new ICBM, the Sentinel, is already two years behind schedule and 37% more expensive than originally promised.

- The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis is in port for a scheduled overhaul and refueling stint—work that normally takes four years to complete—yet the carrier now won’t be ready for at least another year, marking over five years out of service.

- In June 2024, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) described the Pentagon as “alarmingly slow” in fielding weapons for every Service. Yet the previous administration did nothing effective to address the problem.

- With adversaries like China and Russia rapidly advancing their own military technologies, it is essential to prioritize speed, flexibility, and innovation to deliver cutting-edge capabilities to our Armed Forces.

REBUILDING OUR DEPLETED MILITARY: By signing this Executive Order, President Trump is demonstrating his serious commitment to ensuring our military remains the world’s most powerful.

- President Trump campaigned on the promise to rebuild America’s depleted military, emphasizing the need to restore its strength and readiness after years of neglect.

- President Trump: “[A]s I work to again rebuild America’s military strength and deterrence that Joe Biden so foolishly squandered, we need to take a long, hard look at defense procurement and our defense industrial base, because it’s been withered down to nothing. Given all the money we spend on the Pentagon, it’s unacceptable that we would ever run out of ammunition or be unable to quickly produce the weapons needed.”