U.S. Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller said Monday that the Pentagon is not replacing worn-down equipment for troops fast enough.
Neller criticized the Defense Department’s lengthy acquisition process for testing new technology, contending that the equipment is often already outdated when it finally makes its way to the military, the Marine Corps Times reported.
He also blamed the government’s complex requirements for delaying weaponry delivery to Marines.
"As a customer, it just seems to be too slow," Neller said. "There may be good reasons for that, but we’ve got to go faster because we’re behind in many areas and we’ve got to get this new stuff in the hands of those that we have an obligation to support and make sure that they’re successful in whatever mission we give them."
The delay is particularly worrisome because much of the Marines’ equipment has been fatigued during more than a decade of war. He acknowledged the industry’s reliance on fair competition but said the Department of Defense needs to streamline its acquisition process so that the service members can be adequately equipped.
"We’ve got an obligation to those men and women in our service to give them new gear as soon as we can because the gear that we have has been run really hard for the last 15 years," he said.
Neller joined Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft and Paul Jaenichen, administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration during a panel discussion hosted just outside of Washington, D.C., Monday.