SEIZING THE ADVANTAGE


emphasizes smart and innovative invest- ments


in capabilities that sustain and


advance America’s military dominance for the 21st century.


SCOPING OUT SOLUTIONS Sgt. Jacob Butcher, a squad leader in the 1st Infantry Division (ID), troubleshoots a system during an electronic warfare certification course at Fort Riley, Kansas, in September 2015. The Rapid Ca- pabilities Office will incorporate early and prominent warfighter involvement into the requirements gathering and prototyping process. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Tamika Dillard, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st ID Public Affairs)


our troops at risk. Te Army recognizes that these threats are evolving faster than our


challenging acquisition processes,


complex bureaucracies and large organi- zations can support.


To reduce that risk, the Army is now modernizing the improvisational quick reaction model that worked for Iraq and Afghanistan and making the model a permanent and institutionalized part of our acquisition system that considers life cycle trades. Beyond closing current capability gaps, this initiative also will stimulate aggressive, proactive capabil- ity development and leverage disruptive technologies that force our adversaries to respond to us—not the other way around.


Tat is the purpose of the new Army Rapid Capabilities Office, which recently launched under the direction of Secre- tary of the Army Eric Fanning, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Performing the Duties of


32 Army AL&T Magazine


the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology the Hon. Katrina McFarland. A critical piece of acquisition reform efforts, the Rapid Capabilities Office gives the Army an organization specifically dedicated to expediting the acquisition of select capabilities that will meet emerging oper- ational needs and achieve future strategic objectives.


LOOKING TO THE HORIZON Te Army Rapid Capabilities Office arrives in a volatile, unpredictable global security environment. As and Army


leaders have the


Against this backdrop, the Rapid Capa- bilities Office has a critical role to play in ensuring that the Army is ready today and prepared for tomorrow. Acting as both planner and accelerator, the organization will aim to address current and future Army needs across the tactical, opera- tional and strategic spectrums. Although flexible in its capability, the Rapid Capa- bilities Office will focus primarily on the highest-priority Army requirements with the intent to deliver an operational effect within one to five years. It will help Sol- diers in the field today while building an advantage for those who will follow in their footsteps.


To that end, the organization will pro- vide expertise not solely focused on materiel; it seeks to provide holistic


senior DOD stressed,


U.S. military’s long-held technological edge is eroding as our adversaries look to exploit our weaknesses and counter our overmatch. DOD’s Tird Offset Strategy seeks to retake and retain that technological advantage so that our nation maintains and enhances its abil- ity to project force and deter enemy activity around the world. In a budget- constrained environment, the third offset


October-December 2016


Experts in the operations, acquisition, research and doctrine communities took state-of-the-art commercial and military technology, quickly adapted and prototyped it for the Army’s needs, determined it was good enough, procured it fast and sent it to the fight.


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