Industry executives at the WEST 2023 conference have emphasized the need for earlier involvement in the requirements process in order to overcome challenges faced by industry when delivering capabilities to warfighters. Setting unrealistic expectations for requirements leads to poor communication between industry partners and the military, which can be addressed by involving industry experts in the requirements-setting process. Additionally, industry representatives stressed the importance of a steady demand signal and shared commitment to speed in the contracting process, as well as the need for improved training to ensure successful integration between industry-delivered hardware and software capabilities and the sailors operating them. These comments follow criticism from Navy officials in January about the need for shipbuilders to do more with what they already have.
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