Photo By Deanne Mazzola | The BOAST (basic ordering agreement sustainment track) program is a 5-year acquisition...... read more read more
DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. — When Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal needed to deliver autonomous breaching capabilities to heavy armor units, traditional contracting timelines were off the table.
Using an innovative Other Transaction Agreement, contracting officers finalized four prototype awards totaling $72.8 million in just 76 days from proposal receipt. That rapid turnaround illustrates how the command is aligning with the U.S. Army’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive model, accelerating modernized capabilities to warfighters.
From scaling robotic obstacle-breaching systems under Layered Protection to issuing Infantry Support Vehicle-Heavy prototype awards in 65 days under Maneuver Ground, the command is aggressively implementing portfolio-centric, commercial-first strategies. Additionally, executing the first BOAST initiative award in just over 30 days compressed traditional administrative lead time by nearly 11 months.
"Our team is doing critical work to provide tailored, agile contracting support aligned directly with the Army’s PAE structure," said John Jolokai, director of ACC-Detroit Arsenal. "We are actively driving acquisition reform by using every tool available—from Other Transaction Authorities to expanding Project FAST TRACK—to drastically improve source selection speeds, break down barriers for non-traditional defense vendors, and deliver lethal capability at speed."
The command’s proactive approach to supply chain stabilization was equally evident during the Total InteGrated Engine Revitalization Hackathon, which brought 40 industry partners together to resolve critical bottlenecks for the AGT 1500 engine powering the Abrams tank.
Commanding General of Army Contracting Command, Maj. Gen. Douglas S. Lowrey, commended the workforce’s momentum.
"Outstanding work across the board," Lowrey said. "Bringing 40 industry partners together during the TIGER Hackathon is exactly the type of strategic leadership our mission requires. Executing the first BOAST initiative award in just 30 days is a massive milestone for our sustainment operations and rapid acquisition capabilities."
| Date Taken: | 07.29.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2026 14:33 |
| Story ID: | 571416 |
| Location: | DETROIT ARSENAL, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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