procurement

“One of the reasons why the state has failed is because procurement has failed,” Gumede said.

It also urged the bloc to "close critical capability gaps" - including in air and missile defence, and artillery systems - "through joint development and procurement".

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, on Thursday proposed a reform of the EU’s military planning and procurement, aimed at making the bloc ready for combat by the end of the decade.

But sluggish supply procurement and workforce constraints have slowed their efforts.

Fortunately, bipartisan legislation has begun to modernize procurement and streamline industrial policy, and new federal initiatives are encouraging domestic production of chips and critical medications.