TWI PROFILES
TWI PROFILE: LTC PRESTON HAYWARD, GENERAL DYNAMICS LAND SYSTEMS
MYTH VS. EXPERIENCE
As an Army acquisition officer, LTC Preston Hayward had heard a lot of conversations comparing government and indus- try: Who works harder? Who works better? How much of a factor is job security?
He wanted to see for himself, and the Training with Industry (TWI) program gave him that opportunity at General Dynam- ics Land Systems (GDLS) in Sterling Heights, MI, just north of the Detroit suburb of Warren, where Hayward was an assistant product manager (APM) for the Stryker Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) program at U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command before his TWI tour.
Te TWI program gave him many opportunities, he said—“to see major milestone events; participate in solicitations and solici- tation builds; dispel myths”— within the ethical boundaries of being an Army officer in an industry setting. “Tis position has allowed me to really see the interaction” between government and industry and within industry, “and so much of what we do is about the interaction between people.”
“We think it’s a win-win for both the officer and the company,” said John “JP” Paulson, senior director for engineering design and technology at GDLS and the company’s TWI liaison. “Te officer gets exposed to the disciplined systems engineering pro- cess and the programs’ project management processes, as well as understanding the interdependencies between engineering, sup- ply chain management, the production and sustainment service, and how we kind of build and field vehicles. And the company, on the other hand, is exposed on a daily basis to a motivated field-grade officer with some acquisition experience.”
While the TWI officer learns about the inner workings of GDLS and the impacts of Army decisions and requirements on industry, GDLS employees learn about the military decision- making process and current concerns, said Paulson, a retired Army lieutenant colonel. “And I think that’s good for the entire acquisition process.”
LEARNING THE ROPES GDLS builds the Abrams main battle tank, the Stryker wheeled combat vehicle and the Light Armored Vehicle used by the U.S. Marine Corps, among other vehicles.
Hayward spent his first four months at GDLS in the Abrams ECP1 program, and the next four months in the company’s sup- ply chain management section. He finished up the 12-month assignment in the production, design and support area, with the people who manufacture and field the vehicles.
TOP-DOWN VIEW
Hayward, left, and Paulson examine the component capabilities of the Abrams main battle tank. GDLS builds the Abrams, the Stryker wheeled combat vehicle and the Marines’ Light Armored Vehicle. Hayward spent four months in the Abrams ECP1 program and four months in the com- pany’s supply chain management section. (Photo courtesy of General Dynamics Land Systems)
Tis plan of rotation is typical for TWI officers at GDLS, Paul- son said, with modifications tailored to the officer’s background, interests and goals. Hayward, for instance, did not work in the Stryker program at GDLS because that could have raised con- flicts of interest. “We give them the full gamut of what we do in industry. And if they’re engineers, I’ll stick them in engineering for a little while as well,” Paulson said.
Te learning curve within the Abrams ECP1 program was steep but surmountable, Hayward said, once he got to know who did what and the details of the program. “Probably within the first 60 days, I was pretty well integrated.”
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Army AL&T Magazine
July–September 2014
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