From the Editor-in-Chief
“Tose who cannot remember the past are con- demned to repeat it.” —George Santayana, philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist
“Te Life of Reason: Reason in Common Sense,” 1905
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constant in recent years with cycles of heating up and cooling down, massive budgets and often draconian budget cuts. Along the way came the Gansler Com- mission Report (2007), the Better Buying Power (BBP) initiatives 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 (2010-14), and other efforts to reduce waste and improve efficiency. But when you try to implement one initiative, there are usually consequences for other programs and policies. Like the Rubik’s Cube on this issue’s cover, a “twist” one way can have unintended consequences on another plane, resulting in a botched job. Which leads to the focus of this issue: revamping Army acquisition by harnessing the vast lessons learned in equipping Soldiers for combat.
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In the course of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Army acquisition has become adept at creating systems that our Soldiers urgently need through procurement of quick reaction capa- bilities (QRCs). Tis process was critical in wartime. Rapid fielding successes large and small, such as the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts, have met emergent requirements on the battlefield, demon- strating the utility of speeding up development.
Bypassing many of the normal acquisition and deci- sion-making processes sounds good until you factor in risk, reliability, future requirements, sustainability and, ultimately, cost. Tis is the major challenge the Army now faces, particularly the program executive offices: How do you transition from a fast-paced, well-funded, agile acquisition process that worked for a wartime contingency operation to a steady- state, program-of-record “peacetime” approach while retaining the best of both worlds? Is it possible? If so, what adjustments are necessary?
s the United States winds down its involvement in 13-plus years of war, acquisition enters yet another stage of change—change that has been nearly
For this issue, Army AL&T looks at what can and is being done to harness the lessons learned in pro- viding very successful QRCs during combat and by adapting the techniques that produced the items to manage programs of record. Examples of successful rapid-acquisition techniques transferred to programs of record include Transportable Tactical Command Communications and the Warfighter Informa- tion Network – Tactical Increment 1. Currently in transition is the Enhanced Medium Altitude Recon- naissance and Surveillance System.
Looking at the even bigger picture, Critical Tink- ing is a discussion with Dr. Jacques S. Gansler, former undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technol- ogy and logistics (USD(AT&L)) and chair of the commission that carries his name. Gansler offers his perspective on revamping acquisition: what it will take and how long it will take to get there. In a sepa- rate interview, current USD(AT&L) the Hon. Frank Kendall provides his insights into what DOD and the Army need to do next to make acquisition work better, and clarifies the intent of BBP.
For another perspective, we hear from National Defense Industrial Association Assistant Vice Presi- dent for Policy Will Goodman in our Industry Insight column. He argues that revamping acquisi- tion will require a sustained commitment by senior leaders to properly balance individual authority with accountability, and the overhead requirements of the acquisition process with the resources available to meet them.
Finally, this issue has a special addition—the results of the Major General Harold J. “Harry” Greene Acqui- sition Writing Awards competition. MG Greene left us too soon, but his influence and legacy will live on as an inspiration to others through this competition, aimed at inspiring a thoughtful approach to the topic of acquisition. Accompanying the magazine is a com- pendium of the first-place and honorable-mention articles in four categories: acquisition reform and BBP; future operations; innovation; and lessons learned.
As always, if you have feedback for the magazine or any topics you would like us to cover, please share your ideas by sending me a note at
ArmyALT@gmail.com.
Nelson McCouch III Editor-in-Chief
ASC.ARMY.MIL 5
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