Defense 'acquisition' not what it used to be.

• Position: Washington PULSE

There's been no shortage of members of Congress fretting about the wasteful ways of defense contracting. "Everyone is trying to fix the acquisition system," laments one industry insider. Maybe not everything in defense procurement needs fixing, but there is one area that lawmakers will watch closely--the striking rise in the share of defense dollars that goes into "professional services." Last year, more than half of the Pentagon's $300 billion worth of contracts went to...