WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Large defense companies

have "conned" the U.S. military into buying expensive equipment

when cheaper commercial options would have been available, U.S.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said.

Government accountability advocates and some lawmakers have

long argued that defense contractors have overcharged the

military. But Driscoll's comments were unusually blunt for a

sitting government official speaking out against companies that

supply the largest military in the world.

"(The) defense industrial base broadly, and the primes in

particular, conned the American people and the Pentagon and the

Army," Driscoll told reporters, referring to prime contractors

that work directly with the government.

He added that, in part, it was the government's fault for

creating incentive structures that encouraged companies to

charge astronomical prices.

Large weapons makers provide the U.S. military with all

types of systems, from Lockheed Martin's ( LMT ) F-35 fighter

jets to missile defense systems from companies like RTX,

Northrop Grumman ( NOC ) and Boeing ( BA ).

Previously, the Army has said that a Lockheed-owned Sikorsky

Black Hawk helicopter screen control knob that costs $47,000 as

part of a full assembly could be manufactured independently for

just $15.

"The system has changed. You will no longer be allowed to do

that to the United States Army," Driscoll said.

The Army is launching an initiative to streamline its

acquisition process. It is part of an overall effort by the

Pentagon to allow the military to more rapidly acquire

technology amid growing global threats.

Reuters reported last week that the U.S. Army is aiming to

buy at least 1 million drones in the next two to three years and

instead of partnering with larger defense contractors, it wants

to work with companies that were producing drones that could

have commercial applications as well.

Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren this month

escalated pressure on the defense industry to stop opposing

military right-to-repair legislation.