ACQUISITION
synchronized fielding process, just before the Army delivered the first capability set to two 10th Mountain Division BCTs that were about to deploy to Afghanistan with the equipment, we held an integration event at Fort Dix that identified several issues that we could fix in real time or quickly thereafter, so we could roll them into the final product before it went downrange. It felt good to help with the solution.”
Puhalla joined the Army Acquisition Workforce as a member of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) in 2001, but his federal career dates to 1989, when he worked in aerody- namics testing for the Ballistic Research Laboratory (BRL) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. One of his first bosses was Robert L. McCoy, a well-known and published expert in ballistics.
“He was smart as a whip, and he was also a West Virginia good ol’ boy who had much practical experience. So he was able to teach me not only the technical side of our work, but also the common- sense and human side of it,” said Puhalla. “He would say, ‘Don’t try to design a fancy solution when a simple one will do. Be practi- cal about your approach.’ So that doesn’t mean you don’t have to think hard and work hard, but always keep in mind that practical side about what you’re doing here, even in a highly technical field. Nearly 25 years later, those words have stayed with me.”
BRL was absorbed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in 1992, and Puhalla’s branch, Firing Tables and Aeroballistics,
moved to the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. He left ARDEC in 1999 and worked for a contractor for a few years before returning to ATEC. “When I came back with ATEC, I was evaluating a weapon system for a helicopter. I worked with the PM shop and the TCMs to do a fair evaluation early on in the program, which was rewarding because it helped guide decisions based on what was working well and not working well through the eyes of the user.”
He moved within ATEC to support testing for the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program in 2004, and joined the program man- agement side of FCS in 2008. After the program was canceled, the integration and synchronized fielding mission eventually evolved to SoSE&I. “I’ve been pretty fortunate in my career. I’ve been able to have a wide experience, from analysis, to test, to PM, to the requirements on the Soldier side, even the contract side, where I had to worry about bringing in money for the contract. It’s good to have those broadening experiences.”
Puhalla continues to amass those broadening experiences with SoSE&I, which is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)). Working at the ASA(ALT) headquarters level “gives me a better understanding of how the Army works from A to Z,” Puhalla noted. “You don’t have your PM hat on all the time, you don’t have your TCM hat on all the time. You’re a broker, so you try to help with those kinds of talks and negotiations and provide a fair evaluation of which position wins out for any particular day.”
Looking back over his career, he added, “One thing I do wish I had pursued is the Army War College or a similar program. I think there’s a lot of benefit in seeing the strategic side of how big Army works, and even with ASA(ALT) there is a limited set of goggles and lenses that we look through. Tose kinds of training oppor- tunities serve you well—even if you’re not intending to be part of the Senior Executive Service—because they help you understand the big Army and why we do and don’t do certain things.”
A HISTORY OF FEDERAL SERVICE Puhalla, left, received a certificate recognizing 25 years of federal service from Doug Wiltsie, executive director, ASA(ALT) SoSE&I Director- ate, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, in July. (Photo by Claire Heininger, ASA(ALT) SoSE&I)
He has one last piece of advice. “Follow through with your rel- evant training, both in your area of expertise and some outside your area of expertise. Your training should help broaden your per- spective and your views. Finally, prioritize: Make sure you know what’s important and what has to be done. We’re all given the same amount of time; it’s up to you how you choose to spend it.”
—MS. SUSAN L. FOLLETT
ASC.ARMY.MIL
13
ACQUISITION
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