General Overview

Q: What is the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC)?
A: The Army USAASC manages all aspects of the Army’s acquisition career management programs and policies. The center also provides budget, manpower, personnel and force structure support to program executive officers, acquisition Commands and the Army Contracting Agency. The ultimate goal is to provide the Army Acquisition Corps with the tools to provide Soldiers with the right products at the right time, the right place and the right price.

Q: What are the functions of USAASC?
A: USAASC is a Direct Reporting Unit to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASA(ALT)). We support the Army’s acquisition mission through superior personnel development systems and management support capabilities, enabling the most effective equipping of the Nation’s forces while maintaining an internal culture of constant organizational improvement. We focus on institutional management of the U.S. Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) and the Army Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (AL&T) Workforce, comprised of more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel. We strive to provide seamless support to the Army acquisition community through superior leadership, professionalism, quality, competence, and commitment. We provide customer service and support to ASA(ALT)’s Program Executive Offices (PEOs), Acquisition Commands, Direct Reporting Program Managers, and the AL&T workforce in the areas of resource management (manpower and budget), human resources management, acquisition career development, regional outreach, program structure, strategic planning and analysis, and strategic communications.

Q: Are there requirements that Army Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Workforce (AL&T Workforce) members must fulfill in order to progress successfully in the acquisition field?
A: Yes. In order for an AL&T Workforce member to be competitive for positions of greater responsibility, they must achieve acquisition certification requirements that are noted in the Steps to Planning Your Acquisition Career or the Defense Acquisition University iCatalog found at http://icatalog.dau.mil. Specific training and education opportunities can be found in the Acquisition Education, Training and Experience/Acquisition Tuition Assistance Program Catalogs. All publications can be found in the publications section.

Q: How can college graduates obtain an acquisition position in the Army?
A: In order to join the ranks of Army acquisition professionals, a college graduate should first review the Civilian Steps to Planning Your Acquisition Career at http://asc.army.mil/career/civilian.cfm. This will give you an overview of the types of career fields in the acquisition arena, and the requirements you will need to successfully grow as an acquisition professional. Your second step should be to visit the DoD Office of Personnel Management Web site for job openings in the acquisition field, http://www.usajobs.opm.gov or the Civilian Personnel On-Line site, http://www.cpol.army.mil. These sites will also assist you in filling out the required application forms.

Q: Is the Logistics career field now considered part of Army's acquisition workforce?
A: Yes. Logistics is part of the Army’s acquisition workforce, which is called the Acquisition, Logistics & Technology Workforce.

Q: How can I find out about training and educational opportunities?
A: You can find out about acquisition-related training and educational opportunities managed by the Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) or Defense Acquisition University by checking out USAASC’s Acquisition Education, Training, and Experience/Acquisition Tuition Assistance Program catalog.

Q: Is there a program for NCOs?
A:Yes. To find out more about this program, go to the NCO program in the portal or view the Military Steps to Planning Your Acquisition Career at: http://asc.army.mil/career/military.cfm.

Q: What is Section 852?
A: Section 852 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2008, Public Law No. 110-181 directed the establishment of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund (DAWDF). This fund enables DOD to recruit and hire, develop and train, and recognize and retain its acquisition workforce. The complete language of the law can be found at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4986.