By Idrees Ali
Washington, D.C (Reuters) - The U.S. army's chief of staff General Mark Milley said on Wednesday he supported legislation that gave service chiefs a bigger role in defense-related acquisitions, saying this would speed up the process.
Milley was speaking after the Senate passed a $612 billion defense-policy bill which provides, for the first time in decades, military chiefs with more authority in the acquisition process than the Pentagon's civilian leaders.
"Put us in charge of this stuff, let us take a swing at the bat," Milley told an event at the Council on Foreign Relations. "And if we fail, fire us."
Speaking to reporters later, Milley said the extra responsibility came with risks, but added that the current acquisition system was not working effectively or quickly enough.