| Summary: | Identifying an agile and adaptable acquisition process that can field new information technology capabilities and services in relatively short and responsive time frames is a pressing issue for the U.S. Navy. Damaging malware can mutate within hours or days, requiring a defense that is sufficiently responsive to mitigate each variant. The Navy's Program Manager, Warfare (PMW) 130, an office in the Navy's Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence, is focused on rapidly and proactively fielding innovative capabilities to stay ahead of cyber threats. It requires an acquisition and fielding cycle that can deliver hardware security products within 12-18 months, software security products within six to 12 months, and incremental development for both hardware and software every three months. These time frames are far shorter than the Navy's traditional acquisition cycle time, which can be 36 months from concept approval to initial operational capability or eight to ten years for full operational capability. With a focus on these goals, a RAND study sought to identify ways to accelerate or bypass the traditional acquisition process in response to the unique demands of PMW 130 information technology and cyber programs, with lessons derived from and recommendations applicable to programs across the U.S. Department of Defense
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