I
’d like to begin by recognizing the dedication and sacrifice of our Sol- diers serving on the front lines of freedom around the world in more than 160 countries. It is our Soldiers’ courage and commitment that inspire us, the Army Acquisition team, to provide them with the world’s best equipment and capability.
It is important to remember this and to build upon our many successes, because some of you may have heard the myth espoused by some critics who claim that Army Acquisition has failed to deliver since the “Big Five” systems of the 1980s. It is important for us to recognize that any accurate assessment of recent Army acqui- sition achievements would reveal instantly the indisputable facts verifying that this assertion is simply not true.
Army Acquisition has not only succeeded in developing and delivering thousands of systems, platforms, urgent capabili- ties, and individual items of equipment over the past several years, but we’ve also managed to effectively “change the paradigm” of acquisition by harvesting lessons learned and greatly improving the acquisition process. With key partners across the U.S. Army Training and Doc- trine Command, the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and the Army G-3 and G-8, we have collectively made tremendous progress to improve key processes and deliver capability. But we have much more work to do.
Although there are far too many crucial acquisition successes to mention at one time, I’d like to highlight a few instances wherein Army Acquisition delivered criti- cal capability to our Soldiers in harm’s way.
ACQUISITION SUCCESSES Our successes span the complete range of capability, from the development
STANDING UP FOR THE SOLDIER
Army Acquisition continues to provide critical capabilities to Soldiers in harm’s way, including individual protective items such as body armor, flame-resistant uniforms, and pelvic protection gear. Here, CPT Jacob Tiernan, logistics officer with Security Forces Assistance Team 11, provides security while entering Loy Kalay village during Operation Southern Strike IV, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 15. (U.S. Army photo by 1LT Veronica Aguila, 117th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (MPAD) (Hawaii))
and delivery of thousands of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to improved intelligence, surveillance, and reconnais- sance in theater, to individual protective items for dismounted units, such as body armor, flame-resistant uniforms, and pel- vic protection gear, to larger platforms such as the survivability-enhancing Stryker Double-V Hull (DVH) vehicles.
In fact, as of Dec. 3, 683 Stryker DVHs (of the total requirement for 789) had been produced and delivered, and all new production was slated to be com- plete by Jan. 1. Te Stryker DVH is a newly configured platform engineered for increased Soldier protection against improvised explosive devices, roadside bombs, and other threats. More than 490 Stryker DVHs have been fielded in Afghanistan.
UAS is an area of exponential growth and acquisition success that continues to make
an enormous impact on the war effort; at the beginning of Operations Endur- ing Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the Army managed only a handful of UAS. Now it manages a fleet of 6,000 UAS, rang- ing from small handheld capabilities for dismounted units, such as the Puma and Raven, to larger, medium-altitude systems such as the Gray Eagle. Adding eyes over a hill or beyond the horizon, being able to beam back video feeds in real time, con- tinues to be a pivotal technology.
Te Army has also succeeded in engi- neering and delivering thousands of new, extremely effective M855A1 Enhanced Performance Rounds (EPRs). Te EPR 5.56 mm ammo dramatically improves hard target performance while providing dependable, consistent effects against soft targets. Te M855A1 is an environmen- tally friendly, lead-free projectile.
We have also delivered the Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative (APMI), a 120 mm GPS-guided mortar cartridge that provides the maneuver task force commander with precision-strike mor- tar capability. Te APMI cartridge, used in theater since April 2011, is exceeding its requirement to strike targets within a 10-meter Circular Error Probable. Its accuracy enables a commander to defeat a target with precision while reducing the
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COMMENTARY
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