
Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller is appreciative of the authority Congress has granted service chiefs to make purchasing decisions and speed new weapons to the field, but laws governing Defense Department acquisition still tie their hands in many cases, he said.The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act granted the service chiefs veto power over service-specific acquisition programs, including authorization to truncate lengthy development and test requirements for existing technologies like small arms.At the same time, the Marine Corps commandant, Army chief…