Middle-Tier Defense Acquisitions: Rapid Prototyping and Fielding Requires Changes to Oversight and Development Approaches

The Department of Defense (DOD) is continually challenged to deliver capabilities to its warfighters at the pace of innovation and was required to establish guidance for an alternative acquisition process, now referred to as MTA (middle tier of acquisition).

This report assesses the extent to which DOD effectively implemented policies, guidance, and processes to provide DOD with reliable data for MTA oversight; and military components’ MTA policies and selected programs implement leading principles for product development.