WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US government should take steps to reform the Department of Defense to enable it to promptly acquire capabilities and address new threats, US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a preview of his first major address in that position on Thursday.
"We have to reform the Pentagon, so it can adapt to new threats," Ryan state. "Acquire new capabilities more quickly — whether it’s advanced missile defense or directed energy weapons."
More than 40 percent of investments in the Defense Department’s portfolio were affected by cost growth and scheduling delays, according to the US Government Accountability Office.
Speaker Ryan is scheduled to deliver his first major address at the Library of Congress later on Thursday.
Ryan will talk about ways to tackle the challenges the United States faces and discuss steps to renew "the American Idea," according to the speaker’s press office.