Photo By Chief Petty Officer America Henry | Mr. Gabriel “Gabe” Quevedo, F-35 Joint Program Office Norway Country Manager,...... read more read more
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The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) recognizes its dedicated workforce that delivers the game-changing capabilities of the F-35 and works to provide comprehensive acquisition management with the taxpayer in mind. One such individual, Gabe Quevedo, a country program manager at the JPO's International Directorate (ID), is no stranger to the F-35, defense acquisition, or military life.
"My father was in the Army, and our family did most of his career in Puerto Rico. We lived on Fort Buchanan in San Juan before moving to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Ceiba, one of the largest naval bases in the world," said Quevedo.
Even with his family's strong military influence, Quevedo did not think immediately about joining the Army. Instead, he pursued his studies at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico while completing his Reserve Officer Training Corps duty at the University of Puerto Rico. In 2001, he was commissioned as an Air Force officer. He entered a program known as the "operational experience," which sent officers into the aircraft maintenance field before starting their career in Air Force acquisition.
"We would learn what we are actually procuring for the warfighter and the program. We are in the field learning what the parts are, what they do, and why they are important in keeping the aircraft flying safely," Quevedo said about the program's purpose. "I took this real-life experience into my career in acquisition."
Quevedo was a maintenance officer at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida for three years. His time there gave him a strong foundation in aircraft knowledge as he spent time in avionics, flight controls, and time on the flight line. Once he reached the Washington, D.C., area in December 2003 to work for the Secretary of the Air Force for the Acquisition Global Reach Directorate, he had a better idea of where the money was going and what it buys for the aircraft.
"I went up there as a first lieutenant and most of the people there were higher in rank,” Quevedo said about his time at the Pentagon “Everybody treated me really well and mentored me through that time. I spent about two and a half years there where they deal with a lot of the heaviest carry cargo aircraft and special ops aircraft.".
Quevedo began F-35 acquisition management at the JPO in 2006. He prepared compliance audit information to ensure that the auditors have everything answered in a certain amount of time for their reports, which is detail-oriented work.
"These government auditors are coming in with an independent lens and we have to fill in the blanks and answer questions. They have a mandate ordered by Congress and need to answer Congress from a cost, schedule and performance perspective. The documentation is crucial to meet the set mandates. I responded to Congress and government auditors on acquisition requests," he said of the JPO role he was in for 13 years.
When the opportunity came to Quevedo to move into the International Directorate (ID), he jumped on it. The JPO's ID supports the F-35 program's cooperative partner nations and foreign military sales customers.
"You can come to the JPO and then move around in different disciplines. This could be your career if you choose it," Quevedo said of what to expect when coming to the JPO as a young professional. "You can learn different aspects of the program as I did and am still doing. You don't feel pigeonholed."
According to Doug Allen, the ID's cooperative partner lead, "Gabe's defense acquisition experience, his understanding of the F-35 enterprise and international business arrangements, and his diplomacy and integration skills make him a great fit as a country manager."
When former F-35 partner, Turkey, separated from the program, ID needed a program manager to coordinate the effort that focused on storing Turkey's delivered F-35s, terminating contracted work, and repurposing select materials to other F-35 customers.
"It was different from other country manager portfolios and so much to learn in real time," explained Quevedo about the other piece of the portfolio that dealt with the Defense Department and their policy, as well as international cooperation offices that deal with cooperative program issues.
"Gabe is a team player and a proactive integrator, and he incorporates the "Yes, if" mantra into his everyday tasks, all of which serve him well in this role," said Allen.
In October 2021, Quevedo added Norway to his portfolio, where he now serves as a focal point for the country, which currently has 37 F-35s in country.
“They've operated in many different exercises with NATO and F-35 partners. I stay on top of what they need for a successful program," Quevedo said.
One such need included JPO attendance at the Norway Tailored Program Management Review (PMR) in May 2022 at Ørland Air Base.
"The PMR's primary focus is progress towards full operational capability requirements, risk and opportunities,” remarked Quevedo. “It was kind of was like the Super Bowl for country program managers!"
Quevedo learns about the specific NATO missions that come into play for Norway based on geography and placement of adversaries.
With a real-world conflict currently playing out in eastern Europe, Norway has taken on the mission of the Quick Reaction Alert. In this role, Norway has a pair of aircraft in the High North that they can scramble at any time if they see a threat, said Quevedo.
“That's probably the most unique and interesting part of learning what their mission is and how it contributes to the overall program,” said Quevedo. “And it helps the U.S. and NATO."
One thing Quevedo knows is that the program is only growing larger, with new customers, new colleagues, and new countries joining the JPO and bringing their own, unique cultures.
"You learn about different cultures here,” he said. “I'm Hispanic American (who) grew up in Puerto Rico. I have a slightly different culture than some folks and sharing my perspective with others makes the JPO a special place to work."
Quevedo spent Hispanic Heritage Month reflecting on his family and their journey, as well as the aspects of the month that bring joy to them.
"We all enjoy—I think it doesn't matter what background you're from—the food we grew up with, the music, (and) our experiences from back home,” said Quevedo. “I visit Puerto Rico often, and while I spoke my English at school, I spoke Spanish at home. I like to talk about my culture."
Quevedo believes that diversity allows an aspiration to build within people.
"People from different backgrounds see people that look like them moving up in the organization," he said about the encouragement of seeing leaders that have Hispanic heritage.
"This encourages them to strive toward their own goals."
| Date Taken: | 10.17.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.17.2022 12:14 |
| Story ID: | 431470 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 548 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, International F-35 Acquisition Management, by Diana Devaney, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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