Treat operational feedback as a strategic resource, new paper argues

A Ukrainian soldier remotely controls P1-SUN FPV interceptor drone on September 1, 2026. Alex Nikitenko / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

And view software as a continuously developing capability, rather than a completed product.

As the Pentagon overhauls its acquisition system, it should take lessons from recent and ongoing wars, a new report argues.

From Israel, the U.S. should learn that “operational feedback should be treated as a strategic resource.” writes Barak Seener, an associate research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, in a report released Monday. And from Ukraine, the U.S. can learn “the strategic value of competition, decentralization, and commercial innovation.”

Additionally, Seener writes, “software-defined warfare requires software-defined acquisition.” In the future, acquisition models should “treat software as a continuously developing capability, rather than a completed product.”

These changes and more are necessary, he writes, because: “Future military advantage will belong to organizations that can learn, adapt, and integrate faster than their adversaries.”

Acknowledging the reforms the Pentagon began in 2025, Seener writes that the main challenge facing the American defense acquisition process “is not simply one of speed. It is the ability to align authority, responsibility, and operational outcomes within a single decision-making structure.”

Introducing portfolio acquisition executives is a good step, he writes, but “the effectiveness of the reform will ultimately depend upon the degree to which portfolio managers are able to exercise genuine authority over requirements, resources, capability trade-offs and program termination.”

In an interview, Seener pointed to the ways militiaries are using adaptation to outflank exquisite weaponry.

“We used to think that you needed very expensive platforms that took a decade to create, like the F-35, to create strategic impact on the battlefield,” he said. “But look what Ukraine is doing in Russia. Look what the Houthis are doing, just by deploying mass.”

“Technology is evolving much faster than traditional defense acquisition timelines,” he said, “so expensive platforms that take years to develop can leave capabilities outdated by a rapidly changing battlefield landscape before they are fielded.”

Instead of developing bespoke technologies from scratch, “the Pentagon can increase its flexibility by tapping into technologies already developed by the commercial sector—particularly AI, software, cloud computing, autonomy, sensors, and data analytics,” he said.

The need for further reform is clear, Seener said, when you look at how existing systems “have failed to make a strategic impact in Iran.

“You know, in the first couple of days, America and Israel together were able to decapitate the regime, eliminate their command and control, with this rapid tempo, this high velocity of strikes against a huge number of targets, which was unprecedented. And yet it made no strategic impact. Everybody was dazzled; they were awe-inspired at the impact it made…but look, the regime remains intact. Their missile capability remains intact. So this operational wowing effect that it has is not the same as having the strategic impact.”

NEXT STORY: Defense Business Brief: Here comes the quantum boom; GDIT’s perspective; and Sec. 889

2026年9月1日，一名乌克兰士兵远程操控P1-SUN FPV拦截无人机。图片来源：Alex Nikitenko / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

将软件视为不断发展的能力，而不是一个完成的产品。

一份新报告指出，五角大楼在改革其采购系统时，应该吸取近期和正在进行的战争的教训。

亨利·杰克逊协会副研究员巴拉克·西纳在周一发布的一份报告中写道，美国应该从以色列的经验中学习到“运营反馈应被视为一种战略资源”。而从乌克兰的经验中，美国可以学习到“竞争、权力下放和商业创新的战略价值”。

此外，西纳写道，“软件定义战争需要软件定义采购。”未来，采购模式应该“将软件视为一种持续发展的能力，而不是一个完成的产品。”

他写道，这些改变以及更多改变都是必要的，因为：“未来的军事优势将属于那些能够比对手更快地学习、适应和整合的组织。”

Seener 承认五角大楼从 2025 年开始进行改革，但他写道，美国国防采购流程面临的主要挑战“不仅仅是速度问题，而是能否在一个单一的决策结构内协调权力、责任和作战成果。”

他写道，引入投资组合收购主管是一个好的开始，但是“改革的有效性最终将取决于投资组合经理在多大程度上能够对需求、资源、能力权衡和项目终止行使真正的权力”。

在一次采访中，西纳指出军队正在利用适应性来超越精良的武器装备。

他说：“我们过去认为，需要像F-35这样耗资巨大、耗时十年才能研发出来的平台，才能在战场上产生战略影响。但看看乌克兰在俄罗斯的所作所为。看看胡塞武装仅仅通过大规模部署就取得了怎样的成就。”

“技术发展速度远超传统的国防采购时间表，”他说，“因此，耗时数年开发的昂贵平台，在部署之前，其能力可能就会被快速变化的战场形势所淘汰。”

他表示，五角大楼与其从零开始开发定制技术，“不如利用商业领域已经开发的技术，特别是人工智能、软件、云计算、自主系统、传感器和数据分析技术，来提高自身的灵活性。”

Seener表示，当你看到现有体系“未能对伊朗产生战略影响”时，就会明白进一步改革的必要性。

“你知道，在最初几天，美国和以色列联手以前所未有的速度和强度，对大量目标发动了猛烈打击，摧毁了该政权，瓦解了其指挥和控制。然而，这并没有产生任何战略影响。每个人都被其威力所震撼，惊叹不已……但你看，该政权依然完好无损，其导弹能力也依然存在。因此，这种令人叹为观止的作战效果与战略影响是截然不同的。”

下一篇报道：国防商业简报：量子爆炸即将到来；GDIT 的观点；以及第 889 条款