As a phrase, "hurry up and wait" fits a lot of military situations, including introducing disruptive new technology. If a rushed proof-of-concept design works, a demonstration of a rapid prototype is supposed to quickly follow. But even if the demonstration is successful, the process still grinds to a halt for two years. The new idea now must be planned and resourced. That means a program of record must be slipped into the five-year Program Objective Memoranda completed each October, then added to the president's budget request released each winter or spring, and then finally survive the gauntlet of authorization and appropriation reviews by Congress. For large traditional defense contractors, the process is a tedious but familiar grind. For commercial companies and startups, it is usually a nonstarter.
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