BUILT FOR SPEED
C
hange rarely comes easily to large organizations, and it is especially difficult for organizations that are steeped in standardization, formulaic procedures and repeatable methods. Culture change, in particular, is
infinitely more challenging than changes in processes or policies.
Te DOD acquisition workforce is undergoing a fundamental shift in cultural mindset. After years of employing encumbered, linear acquisition processes, DOD is moving toward agile acqui- sition. Tis change comes out of necessity—our current threat landscape demands a framework that allows for more flexibility and less rigidity. While these changes are welcome, it is reason- able to assume that it will take a while for the new mindset to become ingrained and for DOD’s acquisition culture to truly change. Tere is plenty of reason to be hopeful, however, thanks to the early efforts of forward-thinking program offices and the subsequent emergence of updated acquisition policies and the Adaptive Acquisition Framework.
DEFENSIVE CYBER’S NEED FOR SPEED At Applied Cyber Technologies (ACT), a program within the Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) portfolio of the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS), flexibility is part of the organization’s DNA. ACT is charged with defining ways to rapidly assess, integrate, acquire, field and maintain advanced defensive cyber solutions for the Army’s cyber defenders. When ACT was stood up in 2018, there was no prece- dent to follow, and many questions had yet to be answered. In the absence of an established operational framework to follow, ACT sailed into uncharted waters and expected to make some waves.
Since its inception, ACT has looked for ways to produce and field the most innovative solutions to cyber defenders as quickly as possible. In many ways, this required looking at the prob- lem through an entirely new lens. ACT realized that, in order to increase speed, it needed to close the gap between solutions devel- opment and delivery, and system fielding and feedback. Just as critical to the equation was implementing industry-tested Agile methodologies and maximizing relationships with industry part- ners. By zeroing in on the problem that needed to be solved and identifying the best practices to address the problem, ACT devel- oped the ability to work at speeds never before realized.
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS Within 18 months of opening its doors, ACT created a frame- work for rapid acquisition, developed a robust vendor ecosystem and created a collaboration workspace that became the Army’s innovation center for defensive cyber prototypes. In 2019 alone,
20 Army AL&T Magazine Spring 2021 FIELD TRAINING
Capt. Richard Shmel, a cyberspace operations officer, participates in the 915th Cyber Warfare Battalion’s field training exercise in October at Muscatatuck Urban Training, Indiana. (Photo by Steven Stover, 780th Military Intelligence Brigade (Cyber))
BIG DATA
Lt. Col. Peter Amara, product lead for Applied Cyber Technologies (ACT), briefs Jeffrey White, then the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, on the Army’s big data platform. (Photo by Jennifer Sevier, Defensive Cyber Operations)
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