ARMY AL&T MAGAZINE

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Do you understand Army acquisition? It’s not an easy subject to master. But at its essence, it’s all about requirements. “The requirement is what we... read more

Do you understand Army acquisition? It’s not an easy subject to master. But at its essence, it’s all about requirements. “The requirement is what we want to accomplish,” says Dr. Bruce D. Jette, the Army acquisition executive. “It is what drives the acquisition system to give the Army the materiel it needs.” The Winter 2020 issue of Army AL&T magazine attempts to tackle all aspects of Army acquisition, as well as myriad other topics. In this issue: The Army has turned to other-transaction agreements to power its modernization efforts and to focus on products over process, and defense acquisition experts say the plan is working. See “A NEW ERA OF ACQUISITION.” Army contracting has swung from complex to streamlined to provide efficient and rapid acquisition in support of the Soldier. Read about how in “THE CONTRACTING PENDULUM.” In the first of a new series, “ON CONTRACTING,” a look at how market research can be the basis for vigorous competition in Army acquisition, in “HOW TO CONVINCE THE ARMY TO GET WHAT YOU NEED.” The first in another new series examines how the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Command works in water and on land to lay the groundwork for multidomain operations in 2028. See “ENGINEERING THE THEATER.” From prize money to mentorship and collaboration, the xTechSearch competition is growing into something of an incubator for promising new defense and dual-use technologies. Read how in “MORE THAN A COMPETITION.” Software-defined networking could get Army’s data moving faster. Learn how in “REDEFINING THE NETWORK.”   less

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Fall issue of AL&T Magazine asks how to support future force Support of the future force involves countless people Soldiers are likely ever to meet:... read more

Fall issue of AL&T Magazine asks how to support future force Support of the future force involves countless people Soldiers are likely ever to meet: contracting specialists, researchers, procurement officers, lab techs, project managers, civilian and uniformed. These acquisition professionals provide support that covers everything from designing better packs for Soldiers, to inventing new gear to go in them; contracting for the services they need overseas, and treating their injuries in the field and at home. The Fall issue of Army AL&T opens a window to that work with a similarly broad range of articles. • The future force will have problems we can’t anticipate today, and will need a way to solve them. Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne blazed a trail straight to the researchers at Vanderbilt University’s “Wond’ry.” IT STARTED WITH A WRENCH details this intriguing new partnership. • A new communications system links wearable devices from Soldiers and medics with dashboard displays at hospitals, so doctors and surgeons don’t have to rely on a short, verbal report from flight medics about a patient’s condition, and medics are freer to concentrate on en-route care. FAST TURNAROUND covers the MEDHUB system and how USAMRDC and Army Futures Command worked to develop it. • xTechSearch opens up another avenue for small businesses and other organizations besides traditional defense contractors to pitch their solutions and innovations to the Army. Adranos Inc. won the first competition with a clean propellant for rockets and missiles as WINNING IS JUST THE START explains. Visit the “Innovator’s Corner” at the 2019 AUSA Annual Meeting to learn more about xTechSearch and this year’s winner. While you’re there you can pick up a copy of the Fall issue of Army AL&T. Be sure to check out our new platform for the Army AL&T e-magazine, at https://asc.army.mil/armyalt/Fall2019/html/. It's the same great publication but on a spiffed-up site that makes it easier to read, share and save the commentary, analyses and workforce development news you rely on and contribute. In addition to making Army AL&T easy to navigate on a desktop computer, the new platform uses a mobile-friendly format to make the magazine just as easy to read on a smartphone or tablet. Also, remember that Army AL&T is built on contributions from you, the Army Acquisition Workforce. For more information on how to publish an article in Army AL&T magazine or a Faces of the Force submission, visit https://asc.army.mil/web/publications/army-alt-submissions/ to see our writers guidelines, upcoming deadlines and themes.   less

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A modern army marches not on its stomach but on its data, Dr. Bruce D. Jette, the Army acquisition executive, writes in the new issue of Army AL&T magazine.... read more

A modern army marches not on its stomach but on its data, Dr. Bruce D. Jette, the Army acquisition executive, writes in the new issue of Army AL&T magazine. Exactly how the Army identifies, collects, manages and analyzes data throughout all Army programs’ life cycles―from the foxhole to the Pentagon―is the theme of the Summer 2019 issue of Army AL&T. In it, read about: At present, there is no efficient and effective way to store and share the data that Army leaders need when they need it, says Dr. Jette, also the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology. We are changing that, he writes, in “THE ZEN OF DATA.” From Sun Tzu to machine learning, having good data is more than half the battle. The Army’s acquisition data domain promises to prove that once again. Read how in “DATA IS DECISIVE.” The Army Leader Dashboard is tackling the Army’s data problem, bridging the gap between assumptions and insights for strategic resource decisions. Find out how in “CREATING INSIGHT-DRIVEN DECISIONS.” The Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems is the Army’s home for information technology networks and business systems. It’s profiled in “ASA(ALT) AT WORK.” The latest issue of Army AL&T is more than data, though. Budgeting for Army acquisition programs is both art and science, in which clarity and consistency set the tone for success. Read how the sausage gets made in “NO MYSTERIES, PLEASE.” A new rapid prototyping program is supercharging the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office’s search for capabilities. See “FUNDING KICK-START.” The departing project manager for Tactical Network within the Program Office for Command, Control and Communications – Tactical discusses challenges and must-haves as the Army moves toward its one network vision, in “MODERNIZING THE NETWORK.” Artificial intelligence (AI) on the battlefield will come. That’s guaranteed. Before AI automates “slaughterbots,” we need to think through the moral and ethical implications of such powerful technology in warfare. See “MAGIC BULLETS: THE FUTURE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN WEAPON SYSTEMS.” Be sure to check out our new platform for the Army AL&T e-magazine, at https://asc.army.mil/web/publications/army-alt-magazine/. It’s the same great publication but on a spiffed-up site that makes it easier to read, share and save the commentary, analyses and workforce development news you rely on-and contribute to. In addition to making Army AL&T easy to navigate on a desktop computer, the new platform uses a mobile-friendly format to make the magazine just as easy to read on a smartphone or tablet. Also, remember that Army AL&T is built on contributions from you, the Army Acquisition Workforce. For more information on how to publish an article in Army AL&T magazine or a Faces of the Force submission, visit https://asc.army.mil/web/publications/army-alt-submissions/ to see our writers guidelines, upcoming deadlines and themes.   less

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“Building the Acquisition Team”—creating the best possible workforce to supply our warfighters with the best possible capabilities—is the theme of... read more

“Building the Acquisition Team”—creating the best possible workforce to supply our warfighters with the best possible capabilities—is the theme of the Spring 2019 issue of Army AL&T magazine. In it, read about: How Dr. Bruce D. Jette, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology (ASA(ALT)) and the Army acquisition executive, sees this critical time of Army modernization as an opportunity to modernize the acquisition enterprise and effect the changes that will ensure not only that we build the best acquisition team to meet the needs of future warfighters, but also meet the challenges of the marketplace, in “BUILDING THE ARMY ACQUISITION TEAM.” The Army Rapid Capabilities Office (now the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, or RCCTO) and the Project Manager for Electronic Warfare and Cyber teamed up to address an urgent need for U.S. Army Europe and, in the process, set an award-winning example of phased prototyping, experimentation and fielding with creative resourcing, in “THE MAKING OF A PACKARD.” The need is clear: Army acquisition must no longer be process-oriented, time-consuming and risk-averse, taking years to deliver a product. Enter the dynamic duo of middle-tier acquisition and other transaction authorities, in “THE NEED FOR SPEED.” The Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications – Tactical, the first in a series of profiles of ASA(ALT) organizations, in “ASA(ALT) AT WORK.” When supplying partner nations through foreign military sales, the best possible equipment may not always be the best possible solution, in “RADIO ANASOC.” Dr. John P. Kotter, who first as a Harvard Business School professor and now as a consultant, has become the go-to authority on leadership and organizational change, in “CHANGE AGENT.” How the Combat Casualty Care Research Program of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command is working to make its “Stop the Bleed” campaign—training to treat traumatic hemorrhage—as ubiquitous as CPR training, in “‘STOP THE BLEED’: The Simple Art of Saving Lives.” Be sure to check out our new platform for the Army AL&T e-magazine, at https://asc.army.mil/web/army-alt/. It’s the same great publication but on a spiffed-up site that makes it easier to read, share and save the commentary, analyses and workforce development news you rely on and contribute. In addition to making Army AL&T easy to navigate on a desktop computer, the new platform uses a mobile-friendly format to make the magazine just as easy to read on a smartphone or tablet.  less

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Understanding how industry works—its motivations and its challenges—is key to Army acquisition professionals developing the skills and competencies... read more

Understanding how industry works—its motivations and its challenges—is key to Army acquisition professionals developing the skills and competencies needed to do their jobs and to get capabilities into Soldiers’ hands faster. It’s also the theme of the January – March 2019 issue of Army AL&T magazine. In it, read about: As a scientist, patent holder and former small business owner, Dr. Bruce Jette—the Army acquisition executive and the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology (ASA(ALT))—knows that intellectual property (IP) is the lifeblood of any company. It must be protected and fairly compensated, especially if the Army is to attract the cutting-edge innovations of nontraditional companies. With that in mind, he explains the new policy on IP management signed in December by Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper, in “INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LINES.” Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, commanding general of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, writes the second in a series of articles about his command’s support for the Army’s six modernization priorities. Read “RDECOM’S ROAD MAP TO MODERNIZING THE ARMY: NEXT GENERATION COMBAT VEHICLE.” The Expeditionary Technology Search launched by ASA(ALT) narrowed the Army-funded competition from more than 350 proposals to 12 contenders for a $200,000 award. Read how in “INNOVATION COUNTDOWN.” Additive manufacturing holds great potential for the Army, but much work remains to be done for the Army to get to additive nirvana. Find out why in “COMPLEX GEOMETRY.” Whether it’s his fiction and nonfiction, his work as a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command “mad scientist,” the interviews he’s done with defense media, the pages of Popular Science, or some other venue, P.W. Singer is the Army’s must-read thinker. Read all about him in “EVERYWHERE MAN.” Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support’s Robot Logistics Support Center uses indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts and a unique sustainment approach to keep robot systems up and running. Find out how in “CUTTING THE COST OF NUTS AND BOLTS.” For more information on how to publish an article in Army AL&T magazine, visit https://asc.army.mil/web/publications/army-alt-magazine/ to check out our writers guidelines, upcoming deadlines and themes.   less

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Innovation has improved the lives of our Soldiers and contributed immeasurably to their success on the battlefield, says Dr. Bruce D. Jette, assistant... read more

Innovation has improved the lives of our Soldiers and contributed immeasurably to their success on the battlefield, says Dr. Bruce D. Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and the Army acquisition executive. And, he says, innovation will be critical to modernizing the U.S. Army. That innovation will in large part be driven by critical enabling technologies—the equipment, technologies or methodologies that provide increases in the performance and capabilities to the Soldier. Critical enabling technologies is the theme of the October – December issue of Army AL&T magazine. In it, read about: How the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center—to change its culture, improve decision-making and unleash its own agility—created an innovative combination of war gaming and business architecture. The game is a reusable tool that not only educates its workforce in business architecture, but also facilitates and improves any organizational decision at any level. See “GAME CHANGER.” In the first of a series, Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, commanding general, explains the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s (RDECOM) strategy for supporting the Army’s six modernization priorities, in “RDECOM’S ROAD MAP TO MODERNIZING THE ARMY: LONG-RANGE PRECISION FIRES” The Tunisian National Navy and its foreign military sales (FMS) program with the United States is the embodiment of a security cooperation “win.” It’s a model that stakeholders in developing FMS programs can strive to replicate. Get on board with “SHIP SHAPE.” It’s the worst-kept secret in Army maintenance units: The Army has been over-maintaining its equipment and its processes are not very efficient. Those concerns led to a study by the U.S. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity to assess Army preventive maintenance policy, methodology and execution. For the results, see “IF IT AIN’T BROKE…” A nanomaterial that can generate power on demand in the field, wherever needed. Like many great scientific advancements, it was discovered by accident, at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Find out more in “JUST ADD WATER!” “Hypersonic” describes any speed faster than five times the speed of sound, which translates to roughly 3,800 mph at sea level. But is speed enough to change the game? Does a missile flying at Mach 7 outperform one at Mach 3 on metrics other than speed? Apart from flying very fast, what does DOD—and what do its adversaries—think hypersonic weapons can accomplish? Explore the debate in “EXPERIMENTS IN HYPERSPEED.” Test and evaluation is a perennial target of criticism for the time and cost it adds to acquisition programs. One way to minimize this impact is to use contractor-generated test data. As the acquisition community strives to accelerate acquisition timelines, using data derived from contractor testing could be more efficient, save on testing costs and speed fielding of equipment. Find out how in “SHIFT LEFT.” For more information on how to publish an article in Army AL&T magazine, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/publications/army-alt-magazine/ to check out our writers guidelines, upcoming deadlines and themes.  less