Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) today cited increased merger and acquisition activity among large defense contractors as a key challenge to reforming Pentagon acquisition. Reed, speaking at an Aspen Institute event in Washington, said years of consolidation in the defense industrial base have hurt innovation and driven up the costs of weapon systems. "We've seen the contractor base shrink through mergers and acquisitions," he said. "There are two entities that build submarines. There are specialized entities that...
