when their GPS signals are jammed or compromised.
We are not replacing the REF, which does a fantastic job of answering immediate needs from Soldiers on the ground; that mission will continue. We will work closely with the REF to give our formations the right capability solu- tions at the right place and right time to be successful.
We are also not an end run around the PORs that produce systems for the entire Army and the full spectrum of war. We are focused on specific regions and specific threats, which will allow us to combine technologies in innovative ways, do a quick assessment and deliver them to the point of need as soon as possible. Even if it’s only an 80 percent solution, getting it into Soldiers’ hands to use and experiment with puts us closer to the target than before. What we learn from these projects may also help us make smarter decisions for the Army’s long-term programs.
Q. What is your battle rhythm for meeting with senior leaders, and how will the Rapid Capabilities Office vet projects before presenting them for decisions?
A. Te Rapid Capabilities Office reports to a board of directors led by the secretary of the Army and including the chief of staff of the Army and Army acquisition executive. Te board meets approximately every 30 days.
Everything that goes to the board is informed by the work that the Army is already doing, such as the G-2’s threat assessment, the G-3/5/7’s priority list and various requirements and gap analysis by the Training and Doctrine
Command. Te Rapid Capabilities Office is relying on total Army exper- tise to confirm what is most pressing for us to address, how best to address it, and how our projects will support larger strategic goals.
Te team also came up with an innova- tive, virtual tool we’re calling the Rapid Capabilities Office Decision Book. We will use the book to collect specific feedback from various commands so projects can be vetted within that quick board decision cycle.
Q. How will the Rapid Capabilities Office transition prototyping efforts to PORs?
A. Since we’re operating on a small scale, the Army can use this office to take some risks that large programs can’t. Tat will be a good thing for PORs that work with the Rapid Capabilities Office to accelerate a certain compo- nent of the program to answer pressing needs—and maybe in the process find something that should transition per- manently. A good example
is how
we are collaborating with the Project Manager (PM) for Electronic Warfare & Cyber, which is part of the Program Executive Office [PEO] for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors, on the integration of current and emerging electronic warfare capabilities that can be used for new strategic effects. Every- thing we’re doing is nested in that PM’s overall plan.
From the beginning of standing up this office, we’ve been mindful of les- sons learned from the recent past on what happens when the Army deploys quick-reaction capabilities in isolation, without the right training, doctrine, tactics and sustainment. We’re building
these factors into our analyses up front, and because we’re leaning on PEOs and PMs throughout the project execution process, our transition assessments will be informed by PEO and PM input. When those transition recommenda- tions go to the board, they will include the transition path for a Rapid Capabil- ities Office project, the phase at which the project will enter the acquisition system and its relationship to existing PORs. Tis approach will ensure that all life cycle management responsibili- ties are fully addressed.
Q. How will the Rapid Capabilities Office measure success?
A. Our job is to make sure, when we send Soldiers into harm’s way, that they don’t have a fair fight—they have a tac- tical and technological advantage. We will measure success by how well we enable the Army to modernize faster and better, so our Soldiers can succeed even in contested environments. Every process we set up must facilitate that goal, and if the processes aren’t work- ing, we will adjust and improve.
From a technology perspective, we
may not always get to the right answer immediately. Sometimes the solution we deliver may only address part of a gap—but at least we won’t be waiting decades for a program to mature to find out we were wrong.
Tat’s what the Rapid Capabilities Office brings that the Army didn’t have before:
It’s bringing acquisition front
and center, and putting these key capa- bilities in front of top leadership so they can decide fast enough how to offset our adversaries.
—MAJ. GEN. WALTER E. PIATT
ASC.ARMY.MIL
25
ACQUISITION
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