In the Four-Star Forum Wednesday afternoon at AFA’s Air & Space Conference, as the assembled generals were talking about what they’ve had to do to make ends meet—while refusing to cut combat readiness accounts—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz offered a reminder: “People are dying; as long as people are dying, we’ll do what’s necessary, and we’ll do it well.”
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
