"Pace the frontier" definitely reads like a euphemism for "substitute competitive R&D with industry capture." Having third-party evaluators only makes sense from the capitalist standpoint if you're hitting walls and want to look like you're doing something even though you are going nowhere fast. When capitalists are knuckling down on developing competitive edge, the last thing they want to do is slow down to have a third party looking over their shoulder.

What this says to me is that they see the writing on the wall of China closing the gap, have lost faith in their ability to outpace them, and so are turning to the usual capitalist methodology of "speak dishonestly and swing a big stick."