CENTER OF THE STORM


brigades with their own missions in addi- tion to the NIE mission, trail bosses must balance resources and time. Tey work to ease the burden on the units that are learning new systems being evaluated as part of the NIE while meeting traditional unit training requirements.


Trail bosses can often be found chairing a meeting, conducting close coordination with stakeholders on when and where equipment will arrive for training and integration, performing cost analysis, briefing leaders or managing direct sup- port


to units. Tey work regularly on ACQUISITION AMBASSADOR


The new evaluation construct of NIEs and JWAs has elevated the trail bosses’ interaction with the test unit, making them “more of a planner to senior leadership” than before, said trail boss Maj. Carlito Flores, right, shown talking with Soldiers during the VALEX phase of the NIE 16.1 at Fort Bliss in October 2015.


And that’s only the latest twist. In 2016, the Army changed the NIE from a biennial event to a yearly event and introduced the newly established Army Warfighting Assessments (AWAs, now called JWAs), which also take place once a year. While the NIEs focus primarily on formal system test events, the JWAs’ primary focus is on concepts and pro- totypes. Together, they pack a one-two punch of operational assessments that provide Soldier feedback on emerging concepts and capabilities to improve the combat-effectiveness of the joint force.


MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS Amid all of these changes, the trail bosses


serve as ambassadors for the


acquisition community. Tey link the acquisition side of the house—includ- ing the cost, schedule and performance constraints that project managers must abide by—with the operational effects of


14 Army AL&T Magazine


introducing new technology to training scenarios, while also meeting the needs of other stakeholders, such as the test com- munity and industry.


Te change in operational units means that they are no longer working in established relationships, said APM Maj. Alicia


Johnson of


future requirements for upcoming exer- cises, including developing schedules and budgets. Tey spearhead efforts for design, integration and VALEX coordi- nation with partners that include the U.S. Army Joint Modernization Command, Army Rapid Capabilities Office, U.S. Army Europe, U.S. Army Forces Com- mand, Army PEOs and the U.S. Army Training


and Doctrine Command’s capability managers.


the SoSE&I CPD.


Before taking this assignment, Johnson worked as an administrative contracting officer for the Defense Contract Manage- ment Agency in Springfield, New Jersey.


“It’s really about getting out to those installations, educating the units because they may or may not understand what the NIE is, and explaining how they are going to participate. We also let them know the importance of what they are doing,” she said.


Trail bosses also serve as the glue that binds the many pieces of the exer- cises. Because the units are operational


At the center of it all are the NIE and JWA trail bosses, acquisition professionals who serve as the vital link between the operational units that put on the events and the many government and industry stakeholders that provide capabilities for evaluation.


July-September 2017


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