The Pentagon's research and engineering directorate is leveraging broad agency announcements, typically used for basic and applied research, to get over the "contractual valley of death" and more quickly design, develop and advance joint warfighting systems toward the field in key mission areas, starting with long-range targeting and electronic warfare. Jim Faist, the director of defense research and engineering for advanced capabilities, said he is leading a "big, structural change" in the Defense Department to consider systems engineering before pursuing...