Rep. Calvert Statement on APFIT Funding Announcement

Ken Calvert | Official U.S. House headshot

By NW Riverside News Report

May 31, 2023

On May 24, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (CA-41) issued the following statement in response to the Department of Defense announcement of the second set of projects to receive funding via the pilot program to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT):

“With the announcement of a second round of APFIT projects, the Defense Department is realizing the program’s goal of delivering innovative tools to our warfighters in an accelerated timeline. The projects selected include innovative technologies in communications, weapons systems, flight training, ISR, and other essential national security areas. I fought to establish APFIT to ensure that new ways to succeed on the battlefield are not held back by old ways inside the Pentagon. I believe my colleagues in Congress, Defense Department officials, and our industry partners recognize the value of the APFIT program, and I look forward to its continued growth so. I have no doubt that our warfighters do too.”

In making the announcement, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu stated:

“I am thrilled to see the increased support from Congress for the APFIT program. This flexible funding is helping to transform the way the Department quickly pivots to procure and field warfighting capability, across the military services and defense agencies. This pilot program is a critical tool to help us bridge the ‘valley of death’ and transition capabilities to the warfighter quicker than previously planned. The companies being funded will fill crucial capability gaps. Without APFIT funding, these capabilities could take years longer to field.”

APFIT Background:

(Source: Defense Department)

APFIT is a competitive, merit-based program for innovative and mature technologies and products that can meet warfighter demands but currently lack the necessary funding to field. Individual funding awards are limited to $10-$50 million for each defense program.

In FY2022 $100 million was appropriated for APFIT, resulting in ten DoD programs each receiving $10 million to expedite their production and fielding. APFIT funding is helping to deliver war-winning capability 1-2 years earlier than scheduled, while contributing to the health of the US Industrial base through investments in small business and nontraditional defense-developed capabilities. Congress appropriated $150 million for APFIT in FY2023.

According to a report by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering: “The program [APFIT] has the potential to become a critical process reform initiative that can drive increased flexibility and responsiveness into the acquisition system, enabling more rapid and relevant delivery of future capabilities to the warfighter.”

The Ronald Reagan Institute’s National Security Innovation Base Report Card determined: “There is a noticeable gap in late-stage R&D, prototyping, and procurement funds available for NSIB actors. Recent efforts such as the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program seek to address this gap but should be increased to $1 billion and minimum award size increased to $30 million.”

The Defense Department’s Strategic Management Plan states: “Establishment of a new operational framework provides Services and Combatant Commands (CCMDs) multi-domain operational mission critical prototypes and experiments injected into operational exercises. Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve and the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program form the basis of this new operational framework.”

Previous Rep. Calvert Statements on APFIT: