Development of a Defense Technology Acquisition Portfolio Management Framework

Abstract

Defense acquisition system (DAS) is one of the most important aspects of defense systems and requires an efficient and effective strategy for implementation. DAS has been reformed in the defense industry in an evolutionary way. The critical assessment processes are required to have the ability to develop a variety of defense acquisition strategies. The best practices approach for the DAS strategies are those that have the ability to identify and recommend various solutions for gaps and shortfalls in operational military capabilities. The current defense industrial situation in Saudi Arabia requires a formal defense acquisition system which is not yet available. Meanwhile, the officials in the newly established General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), are busy developing a formal DAS to acquire the needed capabilities that satisfy the national objectives. Therefore, this research proposed a new integrated framework for decision-making purposes in selecting proper projects to fill the technological gaps in the local defense industry in Saudi Arabia. This research combines models, elements and metrics used for technology acquisition in the defense sector. The researcher has named his deliverable, the Defense Technology Acquisition Portfolio Management (DTAPM) framework. Relavant literature was identified and analysed by using elements in the DTAPM. The approach to developing this framework was based on the "adapt to adopt" concept. The researcher adopted valid user models then adapted them for the usage to the benefit of Saudia-Arabian needs. An approach guarantees that efficient defense acquisition management decisions can be made, by virtue of connecting the strategic decision-makers to the technical managers, in order to facilitate the technological portfolio management. The resulting framework was exposed to and verified by experts. The usability and validation will be tested by implementing the DTAPM in the future.