To deliver capabilities as quickly as possible to warfighters, companies need to be involved earlier in the requirements process, according to executives at the WEST 2023 conference.
Roy Kelley, vice president of naval power requirements and capabilities at Raytheon, said unrealistic expectations lead to poor communication between industry and the military. He argued that requirements must involve industry experts as a missed opportunity would ensue otherwise. Michael Manazir, vice president of Boeing’s navy systems/government operations, suggested that a shared commitment to speed was needed in the contracting process. Joe DePietro, vice president of Lockheed Martin Naval Combat and Missile Defense Systems, said the training also needs improvement as the sailor needs to understand how to operate and employ hardware and software capabilities. The industry comments followed criticisms from two key Navy officials in January who took direct shots at the industry.
