Jane Edwards
Shubhi Mishra, founder and CEO of defense technology company Raft, said the U.S. needs to reassess and overhaul its approach to defense contracting by adopting new technologies and methodologies to stay competitive and address modern warfare challenges.
In a commentary published Monday on Federal News Network, Mishra wrote that the U.S. government could help break free from the trend of “innovation theater” by reforming its proposal and acquisition processes to enable smaller, agile companies to build and contribute tech platforms.
Under innovation theater, large defense companies work with smaller firms to form the illusion of technological advancements while maintaining control over major contracts, a trend that limits the availability of diverse innovative platforms.
“Instead of rebuilding systems from scratch, a ‘buy what you need,’ modular model allows for faster solution delivery and better alignment with specific needs. Companies that approach problems with precision and creativity, exemplify this new way of thinking,” the chief executive noted.
“By placing trust in agile, specialized firms, rather than relying solely on legacy contractors, we can foster a more dynamic and effective defense sector to counter new and emerging global threats,” Mishra added.
The 2024 Wash100 awardee highlighted the need to address workforce shortages and advance workforce development to facilitate the implementation of new strategies to promote technological advancements.
Mishra also called on the federal government to leverage artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to analyze large volumes of data and speed up the decision-making process to address evolving threats.
