Paratroopers assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division conduct a tactical ground movement through Pekha Valley in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, in September, moving to an observation post to provide base defense. In nearly two decades at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army has seen the need for a more responsive acquisition system to meet the needs of its Soldiers in a timely manner—not the 12-year average timeline of the system in place. It has also seen what expedited acquisition processes can accomplish, such as the robots fielded in just 28 days in 2002 to explore the caves of Afghanistan, using Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency technology integrated with government and commercial off-the- shelf items. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Matthew DeVirgilio, 55th Combat Camera)
