Whither Innovation? : Why Open Systems Architecture May Deliver on the False Promise of Public-Private Partnerships

In several strategy documents, the Department of Defense has suggested that it may experiment with public-private partnerships (P3s) as catalysts for innovation. This policy is misguided. P3s may prove especially disappointing if they are merely a neologism for a continuation of the same old policies that facilitate sole-source contracts whose lifecycles span decades. Open systems architecture, by contrast, has the potential to disrupt the defense industry and to facilitate the sort of competition that safeguards the public fisc, delivers better value, and stimulates innovation