This lecture introduces the students to the scope, principles, and the complexities of defence acquisition. It presents the place and the issues addressed by an acquisition strategy, outlines life cycle models and ways of costing acquisition projects. It presents the main roles in the process of acquisition and the need to preserve its transparency and auditability.
The lecture introduces the notion of "curse of the scale" and the need to seek economies of scale. It outlines the cooperation mechanisms in NATO and EU formats, and possble levels of cooperation and coordination in the national security sector, as well as the phases in the capability delivery process in which such coordination needs to take place.
Lawrence, Anthony. "Acquisition Management." In Defence Management: An Introduction, 155-184. Security and Defence Management Series. Geneva: Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, 2009.
