What have you done to try and fix it? Looking in from the outside you can speculate all you want, but maybe do something to work your way inside and see what it is really all about. There you'll see things can change, but you have to be willing to put in the effort, but too few are unfortunately.
the deeper I get in this thread the more I like you.
I used to do contract work for a number of small businesses (call them startups if you like...at least one fits the term) that sold to FedGov, specifically DOD. They had many of the same complaints I see here, what I saw was a mismatch of priorities and expectations that gets lost in a see of translation problems...especially when you involve the USMC. The process is often the way it is for very good reasons. However, the reasons may not be apparent or operate on the same paradigm as those in the startups world are used to.
As with any subcommunity within culture there is a lingo and a language and a way of doing things. The folks in here have their own (I mean we are on a website hosted by a business incubator named after a math operation). What I feel like is going on in this discussion thread is a classic case of 'I don't understand it so it is bad'. It looks very poorly on the startup community, and reinforces stereotypes about us as a group.
Reframe the paradigm of FedGov not as focused on efficiency but instead on processes and procedures in the name of fairness and the whole thing starts to make more sense. I do acknowledge that fairness in this case being an often abstractly applied and defined process.