my engineering knowledge and skills to ensure that Soldier requirements are being met with high-performing, quality products.”
Tat work has earned him several acco- lades, most recently selection as a finalist for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, awarded annually by the Partnership for Public Service to honor excellence among federal workers. “I didn’t know much about the award until I was nominated, and after I looked into the accomplishments of other finalists, I was very humbled,” said DeGroodt. Te other nominees “are amazing people, and I’m honored to be a part of that group.”
What do you do, and why is it impor- tant to the warfighter?
As the deputy product manager for the WIN-T Increment 2, I am responsible for assisting the product manager in the management and direction of a multi- billion-dollar technology and acquisition program. Te goal of WIN-T Increment 2 is to bring a communications on-the- move capability to Army commanders and Soldiers. On-the-move technology has significantly changed the way the Army accomplishes command and con- trol, untethering commanders from a fixed location and allowing them to move to locations that afford the most insight and awareness of what is hap- pening in the battlespace. Tis allows commanders to make informed and cor- rect decisions faster.
From the Soldier’s perspective, on-the- move communication enables continuous connectivity and keeps warfighters safe. Tey know what is going on around them and are able to communicate their situa- tion continuously. Soldiers in Afghanistan using the system have termed it their “digital guardian angel.”
IMPROVE, SIMPLIFY
DeGroodt discusses recent simplification improvements to WIN-T Increment 2 with GEN John F. Campbell, then the Army’s vice chief of staff, and LTG Robert S. Ferrell, the Army’s chief informa- tion officer/G-6. (U.S. Army photo by Kyle Bond, PEO C3T)
During your career with the Army AL&T Workforce, what changes have you noticed—in processes, training, equipment, etc.—that have impressed you the most? What change has sur- prised you the most, and why?
Te biggest single change since I came into the workforce is the introduction of computer and Internet technologies. When I first started, we had a single com- puter system for an entire directorate and the Web did not exist. Now everyone has the equivalent of several computers, all interconnected and able to communicate. Te impact on processes has been dra- matic and has significantly increased the pace of government as well as the knowl- edge base of all our employees.
Acquisition has changed profoundly in many ways in the past 25 years. How do you see it changing in the future, or how would you like to see it change?
We have indeed come a long way in the past 25 years. However, I feel most of the progress has come from the applica- tion of automation to accelerate the same basic processes we have always used. We
need to radically relook at the ways we approach technology acquisition, particu- larly in contracting and in the acquisition milestone process, to be more efficient.
Te Better Buying Power (BBP) initiative is an example of an area where I believe we have applied new approaches with imme- diate benefits to programs and taxpayers. By using BBP approaches, we reopened negotiations on one of our contracts and were able to achieve $220 million in sav- ings over the life of the contract. We were also able to purchase transmission equip- ment separately, under another contract, saving an additional $400 million over the life of that contract. Tose are signifi- cant numbers.
What’s the greatest satisfaction you have in being a part of the AL&T Workforce?
My greatest satisfaction comes from the personal and career development of the people I have worked with. I take great satisfaction in their successes and advancement.
—MS. SUSAN L. FOLLETT
ASC.ARMY.MIL
15
ACQUISITION
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161
