WORKFORCE
Internship program gives participants a look at SOCOM’s approach to acquisition.
by Maj. Jonathan Harmeling
“V
ery few people will ever be able to say they have been here,” the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) acquisition executive said to me as we pulled into one of the organiza- tion’s Special Mission Unit facilities. On the outside I tried
to appear calm and professional, while on the inside, I felt like a kid pulling up to a toy store. As a teenager, I used to play video games pretending to be one of these warfighters, and now I would get to work directly with them, as a Ghost with the Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (SOF AT&L) Center.
Te SOCOM Ghost Program is a unique broadening opportunity for junior Army acquisition professionals to directly support SOF warfighters during a 90-day rotation at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Ghosts are immersed in a fast-paced, rewarding joint environment. During their assignment, they lead a rapid acquisition project that delivers tangible results to meet the needs of SOF operators. Ghosts then take their experiences and lessons learned back home to their organizations with the goal of improving their own Agile processes and accelerating acquisition practices. Agile refers to a methodol- ogy in product development whereby requirements and solutions evolve over time, usually guided by cross-functional teams.
An additional benefit of this program is that the Ghosts contribute to a more robust network of relationships among the SOF community and its larger service components.
Te Ghost Program originated with the U.S. Air Force, whose service members commission directly into acquisition as second lieutenants. Te Air Force program has been running for more than 10 years, with approxi- mately 190 Ghosts participating over that time. Most Air Force Ghosts are assigned to the Program Executive Office (PEO) for Fixed Wing within SOF AT&L, but their reach extends well into each of the other PEOs under the SOF AT&L umbrella. SOF AT&L comprises eight PEOs—Command, Control, Communications and Computers; Fixed Wing; Maritime; Rotary Wing; SOF Support Activity; SOF Warrior; Services; and Special Reconnais- sance, Surveillance and Exploitation—and four directorates: Comptroller; Logistics/J-4; Procurement; and Science and Technology.
FOCUS ON THE OPERATOR
SOF operators, such as these Green Berets of 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) conducting urban movement training in July at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, are assigned throughout the SOF AT&L organization to provide feedback whenever needed. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Peter Seidler, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne))
Although some Air Force graduates have returned to SOF AT&L later in their careers, most leverage their experience at SOCOM in their service compo- nent. Te first Air Force Ghost recently achieved the rank of colonel and is now serving as a senior acquisition leader in the Air Force.
JOINT BENEFIT As a result of the success of the Air Force’s Ghost Program, the SOCOM commander directed that a joint program be established. It started in 2018, with the first Army Ghost completing the program late that year. SOF AT&L has also seen its first graduates from the Marine Corps, and the Navy plans to participate soon. (Insert friendly interservice joke here.)
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