Hegseth wants ‘right to repair’ provisions in all Army contracts
federalnewsnetwork.com
"If they can find ways to get to a happy medium with modifications to existing contracts, that'll set the stage for some important steps," Stan Soloway said.

In an April 30 memo, Hegseth directed the Army secretary to “identify and propose contract modifications for right to repair provisions where intellectual property constraints limit the Army’s ability to conduct maintenance and access the appropriate maintenance tools, software, and technical data.”

Hegseth said the contracts should ease restrictions while “preserving the intellectual capital of American industry.”

  • Milk_Sheikh@lemm.eeEnglish
    9·
    16 hours ago

    I’m torn here, as both a taxpayer and someone who works adjacent to manufacturing on the engineer side.

    The military has some super duper complex stuff like AESA radar or ICBMs, that while inherently needn’t have proprietary/contractual barriers for self-maintenance, it is not always the best idea to let maintenance level end users loose with the tools. Breaking something you don’t understand/comprehend like a stealth bomber’s paint can lead to adverse outcomes down the line.

    However the MIC has been abusing this and other loopholes to essentially ‘launder’ profit after a deliberate lowball bid to secure a contract. So I’m tentatively excited to nix this…? The Nsvy does solid work training schooling people for nuclear reactors, so this is not new ground for the DoD

    • EstiarEnglish
      2·
      3 hours ago

      There are skill levels built into military maintenance too. Some things are only be worked on by supervisors and specialist staff. But there are training materials and guidance for these things. There’s a lot of certifications that people are required to keep up with in order to repair and operate multi-million dollar pieces of equipment, but with a trained service member, the military can put people where they need them

    • pelespiritOPMEnglish
      171·
      1 day ago

      I’m in as much shock as you are.

      • wwb4itcgas@lemm.eeEnglish
        6·
        24 hours ago

        I’ll just assume he got uncommonly shit-faced and did something positive by complete accident. In fact, his subordinates should learn to take advantage.

        “Huh? Wazzat?”

        “It’s the anti-trangender directives for tomorrow, sir. Have another drink.”

        Hands Hegseth his resignation and a Scotch on the rocks

        “If you could just sort of sign here, aaand… Here. Oh, well done, sir! Leave the rest to us.”