Hegseth Outlines 5 Pillars for Overhauling US Arms Procurement Process

The secretary of war said he believes an arms procurement process that currently takes three to eight years could be cut down to one.

The Pentagon is seen from a flight taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Nov. 29, 2022, in Arlington, Virginia. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense and the world’s largest office building. Alex Wong/Getty Images/TNS

As the Pentagon reflects on recent conflicts and assesses the challenges to come, it is preparing several measures to dramatically overhaul its arms procurement process and rush new weapons and equipment to America’s warfighters.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth first detailed the arms acquisition overhaul in a 70-minute speech at the National War College in Washington on Nov. 7, calling for a process that will allow U.S. warfighters to keep pace in rapidly evolving conflicts.