STUDENT 1(Jeremy):

I hope your week is going well, it has been a wild ride so far and I am sure it will only get more interesting. This week we are facing two creative question, posted below, both provide interesting options, and direction for our current international position.

Forum Questions:

1. Speculate on how Better Buying Power and process improvement of government contractors for military equipment requirements across all the Defense Department will make things more efficient?

Better buying power (BBP) firstly is the implementation of best practices to strengthen the Defense Department’s buying power. The ability to deliver a better value product to the taxpayers and warfighters through better business tactics and buying process the missions is completed at a must better cost. As the BBP has transformed through the years, from the original, to 2.0, and not 3.0, the goal and mission as stayed fairly true. Currently the BBP 3.0 is working to be more efficient in eight different ways, that encompassmultiple options. Achieve affordable programs, dominant capabilities while controlling lifecycle costs, and incentivize productivity in industry and government. Additionally, eliminate unproductive processes, and bureaucracy, promote effective competition, improve tradecraft, inacquisitionof services, and improve the professionalism of the total acquisition workforce. The efficiency of this program is derived from the capability to deliver the best valued product to us the taxpayers, and the warfighters home and abroad, (Kindall, F. 2015).

1. Should the President of the US issue any an executive order to impact the Better Buying Power to support the Defense Department mission support equipment needs? If not, why not? If yes, what would such an executive order include?

The president should make their wishes known and to congress, and the house, in hopes to have the additional funding approved and be unified in theirapproach. This is the preferred option, due to the efficiency and max value possible, if the executive order is given, the push back and retaliation on other legislation could be nullified due to over reach. I also believe in a balanced budget, meaning what comes in provided the budget options, not the number we would like, or I would have an amazing vehicle, (Department of Defense Press Briefing on Better Buying Power 3.0 in the Pentagon Briefing R. 2015).

Department of Defense Press Briefing on Better Buying Power 3.0 in the Pentagon Briefing R. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Trans…

Kindall, F. (2015). Better Buying Power 3.0. Retrieved from https://www.acq.osd.mil/fo/docs/betterBuyingPower3…

STUDENT 2:

I hope everyone is doing well. I can’t believe we are a few students in this course and my previous course DEFM422. I am late once again with forum submission. Last week was extremely busy with office work, but I will try my best to participate in the forum discussions before the due date. I found the forum questions interesting and informative to know how Federal focuses on BBP and cautious while spending taxpayer’s money.

Speculate on how Better Buying Power and process improvement of government contractors for military equipment requirements across all the Defense Department will make things more efficient?

BBP was first started in 2010, and the purpose was to spend American taxpayers’ money responsibly but consider best practices to strengthen the Defense Department’s buying power, improve industry productivity, and provide an affordable, value-added military capability to the Warfighter. But the aim was to do more without more. It has been proven that fewer resources will never improve the quality and productivity of equipment and services. Although, I am in favor of BBP to spend funds affordably and effectively but reducing funds will take away the buying power and minimize the possibilities to modernize and advance our military and their capabilities. I think the only way to make the equipment requirements across DoD more efficient will be to prioritize needs and reduce spending in areas that are not necessary. They should also focus on producing equipment in house by building government production facilities rather than hiring contractors who became billionaires with Federal money.

Should the President of the US issue any an executive order to impact the Better Buying Power to support the Defense Department’s mission support equipment needs? If not, why not? If yes, what would such an executive order include?

I doubt if the US President is willing to issue an executive order because his administration deliberates that the DoD budget is significantly sophisticated compared to needs. They have been diverting the defense budget to Trump’s wall which has eliminated the planned requirements of the DoD for operations considering the instability and war around the world where U.S forces are directly or indirectly involved.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/pentagon-to-divert-38-billion-from-its-budget-to-build-more-of-trumps-border-barrier/2020/02/13/1f937000-4e93-11ea-9b5c-eac5b16dafaa_story.html

https://www.fai.gov/sites/default/files/media-library/resource/ceb57daf62a94f555272cf51c14531ce.pdf