On Sep. 8, 2020, Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist signed into effect DoD Directive 5000.01, The Defense Acquisition System. In support of the National Defense Strategy, the Defense Acquisition System develops a more lethal force based on U.S. technological innovation and a culture of performance that yields a decisive and sustained U.S. military advantage.
The DoDD 5000.01 is the overarching directive that describes the principles governing the acquisition process and emphasizes six main tenets of acquisition implemented via the Adaptive Acquisition Framework. The AAF is a set of acquisition pathways to enable the workforce to tailor strategies to deliver better solutions faster.
The AAF’s six main tenets are: Simplify, Acquisition Policy, Tailor Acquisition Approaches, Empower Program Managers, (develop and use) Data Driven Analytics and Active Risk Management, and Emphasize Sustainment.
Per the DoDI 5000.02, the AAF supports the Defense Acquisition System (DAS) with the objective of delivering effective, suitable, survivable, sustainable, and affordable solutions to the end user in a timely manner. To achieve those objectives, Milestone Decision Authorities (MDAs), other Decision Authorities (DAs), and Program Managers (PMs) have broad authority to plan and manage their programs consistent with sound business practice.
The AAF acquisition pathways provide opportunities for MDAs/DAs and PMs to develop acquisition strategies and employ acquisition processes that match the characteristics of the capability being acquired. (To learn more about the Adaptive Acquisition Framework, visit https://aaf.dau.edu/.)
Representing one of the most transformational changes to acquisition policy in decades, the DoDD 5000.01 revision was part of a comprehensive redesign of the DoD 5000 Series acquisition policies, which were streamlined and modernized to empower program managers, facilitate flexibility and enhance our ability to deliver capability at the speed of relevance.