Nobody bats a thousand. Not in baseball. Not in any profession or walk of life. But you don’t need to bat a thousand to make a difference. And you don’t need to bat a thousand to help change the tides
Looking back, what can we learn from Packard’s hearings on Advanced Prototype Initiatives?
The US commercial industrial base is the bedrock of US national security. Inherent in Packard’s twelve (12) Advanced Prototype Initiatives were opportunities to compete for twenty-four (24) contracts. In its full form, the initiatives would have resulted in 24 opportunities for companies to design, build, and compete prototypes against each other. To avoid vendor lock -- “Fly Before You Buy,” as Packard always said.
Exceptional people exist and shape history. Packard played an imperative role in securing funding to support developmental efforts that led to the F-16, F/A-18, and C-17. These platforms have delivered our Nation and our Allies formidable capabilities and technological advantage, at a critical juncture of the Cold War and well into the modern era. Air Power!
In a world of uncertainty, optionality reigns supreme. As DEPSECDEF, Packard was a visionary and had the courage to stand by unpopular proposals because he believed some of his bets were likely to pay off. A half century ago, he advocated for prototyping unknown technologies and weapon systems that we now view as the norm.
This blog is essentially an excerpt, full paper here:
https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AUPress/Papers/WF_74_Fredrickson_The_Laird_Packard_Way_Unpacking_Defense_Acquisition_Policy.pdf
Looking back, what can we learn from Packard’s hearings on Advanced Prototype Initiatives?
The US commercial industrial base is the bedrock of US national security. Inherent in Packard’s twelve (12) Advanced Prototype Initiatives were opportunities to compete for twenty-four (24) contracts. In its full form, the initiatives would have resulted in 24 opportunities for companies to design, build, and compete prototypes against each other. To avoid vendor lock -- “Fly Before You Buy,” as Packard always said.
Exceptional people exist and shape history. Packard played an imperative role in securing funding to support developmental efforts that led to the F-16, F/A-18, and C-17. These platforms have delivered our Nation and our Allies formidable capabilities and technological advantage, at a critical juncture of the Cold War and well into the modern era. Air Power!
In a world of uncertainty, optionality reigns supreme. As DEPSECDEF, Packard was a visionary and had the courage to stand by unpopular proposals because he believed some of his bets were likely to pay off. A half century ago, he advocated for prototyping unknown technologies and weapon systems that we now view as the norm.