May 01, 2025

Warren Statement on Army Right-to-Repair Victory

Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to the Secretary of the Army, Daniel P. Driscoll’s announcement that the Army will ensure right-to-repair provisions are included in future Army contracts, Senator Warren, a long-time advocate of the policy, released the following statement:

“I pushed the Army Secretary to get right-to-repair in the Army done, and I’m glad he kept his word. This reform means the Army will be more resilient in future wars, and it will end the days of soldiers being dependent on giant defense contractors charging billions and taking months and months to get the equipment they need repaired. It’d be a big win for our country if all of the services followed Secretary Driscoll's lead to stand up to military contractors, side with warfighters, and commit to right-to-repair in every single contract.”

In January 2025, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, secured a commitment from Mr. Dan Driscoll, then-nominee for Secretary of the Army, about his views on enhancing the Army’s right to repair its own equipment. The exchange is below.

Senator Warren also pushed Trump’s Navy Secretary and Military Transportation Command Chief on committing to allowing servicemembers to repair their own equipment. They agreed.

Senator Warren has been a leader on Right-to-Repair in the military:

  1. In December 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) introduced the Servicemember Right-to-Repair Act, which would require contractors to provide DoD with “fair and reasonable” access to repair materials. It would also require cost-saving proposals to cut sustainment costs without reducing performance requirements, mandate a report on cost-saving strategies to enhance transparency, and require DoD to assess the cost-effectiveness of access to intellectual property throughout a program’s life cycle. 
  2. Senator Warren also wrote to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) recommending $2 trillion in proposals to save taxpayers money, including tackling repair restrictions that the Government Accountability Office found “could save billions of dollars.” At the hearing, Mr. Driscoll agreed with this recommendation.
  3. In September 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent two letters denouncing the costly restrictions imposed by Pentagon contractors on the Department of Defense (DoD) that bar the military from repairing its own military equipment and instead force it to pay billions of dollars extra to contractors.
  4. In July 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren included a provision in the Senate Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA that would require Pentagon contractors to provide DoD with “fair and reasonable” access to repair materials.

Transcript: Hearing to Consider the Nomination of Mr. Daniel P. Driscoll to be Secretary of the Army
Senate Armed Services Committee
January 30, 2025

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Congratulations on your nomination, Mr. Driscoll. So what I’d like to do is continue the conversation we started in my office. The Army buys a lot of stuff, from tanks to helicopters. They buy a lot of stuff from big defense contractors. Those giant companies often sneak restrictions into the contracts. They hog up the software rights or the technical data, all to prevent service members from being able to repair their own equipment. So today I would like to talk through an example so we can see the difference in banks with the Army is not hamstrung by right-to-repair restrictions. 

Last year, the Army needed a new cover for a safety clip, but the contractor told the Army they couldn’t have it for months and these safety clips would cost $20 a pop. Now, thankfully, the Army had managed to keep right-to-repair restrictions out of this contract and was able to 3D-print the part in less than an hour for a total cost of 16 cents. 

Now, Mr. Driscoll, does being able to get the parts we need in hours - maybe minutes - instead of months, and for nickels instead of dollars, help U.S. readiness and national security? 

Mr. Dan Driscoll, nominee for Secretary of the Army: Unequivocally, Senator. 

Senator Warren: Good. You know, when right-to-repair restrictions are in place, it’s bigger profits for giant defense contractors, but also higher prices for DoD and longer wait times for service members who need to get equipment repaired so they’re ready to go. 

Chairman Wicker has an acquisition reform agenda which calls for a complete review of data rights across the Department of Defense. I think that is exactly right because it would help put the Army fully in command of the equipment that it has paid so much for. 

So, Mr. Driscoll, let me ask you, if confirmed, will you work with this committee to identify more opportunities where the Army can save money and time by making their own parts and fixing their own equipment? 

Mr. Driscoll: If confirmed, unequivocally, Senator. 

Senator Warren: Would you like to expand on that at all? 

Mr. Driscoll: This type of innovation happening in the private sector at scale in a lot of ways seems to have not trickled into the Army as much. If we think about engagement with a peer like China, being able to repair our parts in areas around the world will be crucial to that. And, if we are having six-month delays in CONUS and paying 100x the rate, that is not scalable in an actual conflict, and so I’m totally supportive, Senator. 

Chair Wicker: That was a very good answer, Mr. Driscoll. 

Senator Warren: It was an excellent answer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know, right-to-repair restrictions have truly gotten out of control. And they threaten our national security. In some cases, the Army cannot even write its own training manual without a sign-off from a contractor. My Servicemember Right to Repair Act would help fix this problem. 

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