Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA)

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Rapid Prototyping Path
Rapid Fielding Path

Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA)

The Middle Tier of Acquisition pathway is used to rapidly develop fieldable prototypes within an acquisition program to demonstrate new capabilities and/or rapidly field production quantities of systems with proven technologies that require minimal development.

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How To Use This Site

Each page in this pathway presents a wealth of curated knowledge from acquisition policies, guides, templates, training, reports, websites, case studies, and other resources. It also provides a framework for functional experts and practitioners across DoD to contribute to the collective knowledge base. This site aggregates official DoD policies, guides, references, and more.

DoD and Service policy is indicated by a BLUE vertical line.

Directly quoted material is preceeded with a link to the Reference Source.

Middle Tier of Acquisition Pathway snapshot. Both Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Fielding must be completed in less than 5 years. A Rapid Prototyping path may have a follow-on Rapid Fielding path. Upon program completion, both Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Fielding will enter into Operations and Sustainment for their respective delivered capabilities.

Reference Source: DoDI 5000.80, Paragraph 1.2.b

 

The MTA pathway is intended to fill a gap in the Defense Acquisition System (DAS) for those capabilities that have a level of maturity to allow them to be rapidly prototyped within an acquisition program or fielded, within 5 years of MTA program start. The MTA pathway may be used to accelerate capability maturation before transitioning to another acquisition pathway or may be used to minimally develop a capability before rapidly fielding.

 

See Overview & Benefits, FAQs, and MTA Tips for unique considerations for the MTA pathway.

Rapid Prototyping Path

Reference Source: DoDI 5000.80, Paragraph 1.2.c

 

The rapid prototyping path provides for the use of innovative technologies to rapidly develop fieldable prototypes to demonstrate new capabilities and meet emerging military needs.  

The MTA Rapid Prototyping path has three phases: 1) MTA Planning; 2) MTA Execution; and 3) MTA Completion. Within MTA Planning, the activities that are initiated are Requirements, Acq Strategy & Docs, Contracting, and Costs & Funding. After the ADM (Program Start), MTA Execution begins. In this phase, the activities that are initiated are Prototype Development, Test & Demo, Prototype O&S, Reporting & Governance, and Transition program. After the ADM (Program Completion), MTA Completion begins. The MTA program should be completed in less than 5 years.

Rapid Fielding Path

Reference Source: DoDI 5000.80, Paragraph 1.2.d

 

The rapid fielding path provides for the use of proven technologies to field production quantities of new or upgraded systems with minimal development required.  

The MTA Rapid Fielding path has three phases: 1) MTA Planning; 2) MTA Execution; and 3) MTA Completion. Within MTA Planning, the activities that are initiated are Requirements, Acq Strategy & Docs, Contracting, Costs & Funding, and System Production & Fielding. After the ADM (Program Start), MTA Execution begins. In this phase, the activities that are initiated are Test & Demo, System O&S, Reporting & Governance, and Transition program. After the ADM (Program Completion), MTA Completion begins. The MTA program should be completed in less than 5 years.

Watch this 45-minutes video clip explaining what MTA lets programs do from the Defense Panel Discussion on MTA (June 2018):

  • Mr. Ben Fitzgerald (then Director of Acquisition and Sustainment Strategy Office) interviewing Dr. Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics) and Dr. Bruce Jette, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics)