THE ACQUISITION TOOLKIT


OPERATIONAL NEED


Loads are dropped from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft using the G-16 cargo parachute, which will allow units to drop at a lower altitude and reduce the number of parachutes required. “Someone has to say, ‘I have a need,’ and be able to describe that need,” says Jette. (Photo by Jim Finney, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command)


Once the item is produced by the acqui- sition community, the Army fields it in accordance with what Army G-3/5/7 (operations, plans and training) has deter- mined the fielding sequence will be, and what Army senior leaders have determined the fielding strategy will be.


When the item is fielded, the Army has to sustain it. Sustainment covers the parts, spares and stockages—as determined by the logistics side of the house, which is the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) in most cases, but might also be the Defense Logistics Agency.


At the end of the life cycle, when the product is being replaced, the Army has to divest it, and that may require demil- itarization. As an example, the Army doesn’t just put gun tubes out onto the open market; we have to make sure they are not capable of ever being used again.


Army AL&T: It sounds like a complex process that involves a lot of differ- ent people.


Jette: It’s a lot more complex than people think, especially that front-end piece, the


20 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2020


operational requirement. Te requirement is what we want to accomplish; it is what drives the acquisition system to give the Army the materiel it needs.


Prior to the establishment of the U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), under the old system, there was a point-to- point interface. Someone from the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and the various Army capa- bility development integration directorates wrote the requirement. Te acquisition community would then go about acquir- ing the technology or equipment. Tese were two independent activities.


I use what I call the “interlaced fingers” analogy to illustrate how we work together now. We have fingers from both hands that are interlaced; the left hand—AFC— has responsibility for the requirements, and the right hand—ASA(ALT)—has responsibility for producing the product. With both hands interlocked, the teams can interact more effectively. Tis inter- locking of requirements and production allows Soldiers to provide critical feedback early into the development of the materiel.


Army AL&T: Tat leads me to the next question, and that is, how has the acqui- sition process changed since the creation of Army Futures Command?


Jette: Well, the technical acquisition process is unchanged by the existence of AFC. Deeply buried in law, we’re required in certain cases to do certain things. Te laws surrounding the acquisition process, DOD 5000 and the DOD 5000 rewrite, and some of the policies that govern it, all of those things remain unchanged.


The creation of AFC, fundamentally


though, has changed the front end of the process, which is the requirements— describing the need. Te secretary of the Army issued guidance to senior leaders to find a more effective way to connect the requirements to the development of the acquisition strategy. Before, requirements were done by an austere group. Now, we’ve got a general officer, Gen. John M. Murray, leading the effort. Tat’s a pretty big difference in commitment to require- ments on the part of the Army.


Army AL&T: So are we getting better products for the Soldiers now?


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