DACP provides oversight and funds for the test and evaluation of technologies that have potential to improve current acquisition programs at component, subsystem or system level.
In an effort to remedy the technology-to-programming lag and overcome the "valley of death," the DACP provides opportunities for the increased introduction of innovative and cost-saving commercial technologies or products into existing DoD acquisition programs.
To do so, the DACP provides any person or activity, within or outside the DoD, the chance to propose alternatives, known as Challenge Proposals, to existing DoD programs that could result in improvements in performance, affordability, manufacturability or operational capability of the systems acquired by that program.
DACP aims to address three warfighter priorities including:
DACP also provides assistance for other national priorities, as outlined in the Defense Planning Guidance (DPG), available at www.oft.osd.mil/library/library_files/document_129_Transformation_ Planning_Guidance_April_2003_1.pdf.