START THE FIRE
and Desert Storm, and the Cold War against the Soviet Union. No shots were fired in Europe in part because of the known overmatch of our formations and their weapon systems. Te Big Six also facilitated overmatch in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Te keys to the success of these systems were clear: threat-based requirements documents, maturation of technologies, prioritization, adequate funding and, most importantly, patience to see the systems to fruition. Tis modernization hap- pened over decades that included failed air defense, tank, aircraft and artillery efforts.
As successful as the Big Six fieldings were, however, the past two decades have not been so kind. Lawmakers, senior leaders and Soldiers have been frustrated with the Army’s inability to modernize and field new capabilities. After repeated failures that ranged from the RAH-60 Comanche helicopter to Future Combat Systems— the most ambitious acquisition program in the service’s history and central to its modernization efforts from 2003 to 2009—the Army’s answer became to take steps, not leaps. Instead of new systems that would usher in the next revolution- ary generation of capabilities, leaders chose the path of evolutionary upgrades to the Big Six.
However, the recent resurgence of near- peer threats in Russia, North Korea, China and Iran has demonstrated the need to modernize on a larger scale. One positive step toward meeting that need came from Congress in the form of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, which assigned the ser- vice chiefs a greater role in weapon system development and modernization.
Using that expanded role, Milley and several Army secretaries took action on
252 Army AL&T Magazine
three key initiatives. First, they placed a renewed emphasis on the Army Require- ments Oversight Council (AROC) by focusing all requirements on technical feasibility and affordability. Secondly, in concert with the AROC, the G-8 developed the strategic portfolio analy- sis review (SPAR), which became the de facto program objective memorandum guidance and prioritization, with three clear categories—accelerate, maintain or stop—across the Army’s 15 portfolios. Te third effort was the establishment of the Army Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), which is based on the Air Force’s successful RCO construct and charged with rapidly developing and delivering prototypes to combatant commands to close high-risk, strategic operational gaps. Te AROC, SPAR and RCO are serving as the foundation in addressing the mod- ernization problem.
Army leadership also announced other modernization initiatives at AUSA:
• Creation of a new modernization or futures command.
• Publication of the Army’s six modern- ization priorities and acquisition reform plans.
• Establishment of eight cross-functional teams (CFTs).
Te CFT pilot, outlined as “an innova- tive organizational construct to integrate and synchronize processes across multiple stakeholders,” will use teams to transition leader-approved capability requirements to the Army acquisition system, allow- ing faster and more affordable capability development. Te need for technology integration is addressed through the CFTs’ requirement to leverage experimentation and technology demonstration to inform and mitigate risk to the longer-term pro- grams of record.
FUEL AND OXYGEN Te Army is great at creating organiza- tions, such as the RCO, CFTs and the new modernization or futures command. But to fuel innovation, such organiza- tions have to be led and staffed by curious people who question the status quo and are not averse to risk. McCarthy’s acquisi- tion reform directive specifically addresses the need for talent management within the acquisition formation. Tis emphasis needs to carry over to the CFTs and mod- ernization or futures command to ensure that the right people are in the right roles to support the revolutionary innovation that’s needed.
Te last and most critical piece to consider is the environment—the oxygen for the innovation fire to start and thrive. Starting with the secretary and chief of staff of the Army and continuing to the Army acqui- sition executive, to program managers and on down the line, the Army must foster a culture that celebrates risk acceptance, early failure and frequent experiments. Incubating informal networks that work in parallel with well-defined Army pro- cesses promotes cross-pollination and idea generation. Te Army RCO has forged such a network through its Emerging Technologies cell, which focuses on assess- ing capabilities such as robotics, artificial intelligence and counter-unmanned aerial systems, and coordinates with nontradi- tional innovators and organizations like the Defense Innovation Unit Experimen- tal and the DOD Strategic Capabilities Office to potentially apply their technolo- gies to Army needs and programs.
Of the three components required for revolutionary innovation, the environ- ment, or oxygen, is the most crucial, and is often not specifically addressed in memos, constructs or conversations. Te Army can provide the oxygen for innova- tion through greater risk tolerance and
January - March 2018
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