Ret. Gen. John Jumper, former chief of staff, US Air Force

The National Defense Authorization Act the Senate debated includes more autonomy for service chiefs on acquisitions. Specifically they'll be involved in the process longer. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall told Breaking Defense now is the worst time for the change but the Government Accountability Office's Mike Sullivan said moving the chiefs' involvement further into procurements can keep costs down and schedules shorter. Retired Air Force Gen. John Jumper is former chief of staff of the Air Force, and former chief executive officer of Leidos. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose why the acquisitions process needs more operational involvement.