Nominee Steven Feinberg pressed on acquisition reform, shipbuilding, hypersonics, spectrum and DoD auditability

Steven Feinberg told the Senate Armed Services Committee he would bring private-sector tools to Department of Defense management if confirmed, but senators repeatedly asked for concrete steps to speed production, shore up the industrial base and protect critical military capabilities.

Feinberg said DoD has “low hanging fruit” in program requirements, financial systems and reporting, and that simplifying requirements and improving transparency could yield savings and operational gains. He described acquisition problems as partly rooted in “gold plated” requirements and procurement rules that favor incumbent large defense contractors over smaller, faster firms.

Senators pressed Feinberg on a series of capability priorities the committee said were at acute risk. These included shipbuilding, where multiple senators described a multi-decade production shortfall and warned against cuts at public shipyards that…