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Michael Horowitz, who previously led efforts for the Biden administration to swiftly implement new capabilities, recently expressed strong support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reforms in military acquisitions. Speaking to RedState, Horowitz emphasized that the initiative is both essential and not bound by party lines.
“The urgency of adopting innovation quickly and on a large scale is critical to ensure that the U.S. military remains the foremost global force, particularly in deterring or defeating China’s military,” Horowitz stated, underscoring the non-partisan nature of the effort.
This endorsement from a former adviser to the Obama-Biden Pentagon sharply contrasts with the ongoing critiques from leading Democrats on the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Representative Adam Smith of Washington have voiced concerns over Hegseth’s aggressive strategy to expedite weapons procurement, arguing it could compromise testing, accountability, and workforce stability. Despite these concerns, Secretary Hegseth remains committed to embracing calculated risks. “We aim to increase acquisition risk to reduce operational risk,” he declared during his speech on November 7.
Horowitz supports this approach and recently penned a report titled Time to Accept Risk in Defense Acquisitions. He told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Pentagon deserves recognition for its bold attempt to tackle the core issues within the acquisition process. He added that these changes are designed to foster competition and accelerate progress, especially given the threats posed by China and the rapid pace of technological advancements.
Horowitz agrees and has recently authored a brief entitled Time to Accept Risk in Defense Acquisitions. He told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Pentagon “deserves credit for taking a big swing at trying to address the pathologies at the center of the acquisition process,” adding that the changes are “designed to encourage competition and to encourage speed” in the face of China’s threat and the pace of technological change.
Secretary Hegseth’s bold reforms would cut weapons-buying timelines in half by throwing out 70 percent of the Pentagon’s bloated rulebook. The goal is to get cutting-edge gear like hypersonic missiles, AI systems, and drone swarms into American arsenals years faster than today. The plan sets hard deadlines, including scorecards to track prototypes, initial operational capability, and production ramps within 180 days of implementation, while integrating AI tools to rapidly evaluate bids and prioritize vendors capable of meeting accelerated timelines. This overhaul targets a broken system that allows China to build warships three times faster than the U.S., as American programs languish under mountains of paperwork and compliance hurdles.