From the Editor-in-Chief L
anguage is a funny thing. While serving a tour in Italy, I picked up a little Italian, at least enough to order food and find my way around. Sometimes hearing a word from
another language described in your own drives home a stark difference that you often blur in your native language. Two of the words whose subtle yet distinct difference stuck with me were “conoscere” and “capire.” Here’s the slight but significant difference between the two: Conoscere is to know something, while capire is to understand. Capisce?
In English, we tend to use the two words interchangeably. Lots of us know things, such as how to drive a car, use computers, cellphones, microwave ovens, etc. We know how to use these products to perform functions like driv- ing every day to and from work, or video chatting on your phone with family. But do we really understand how these daily processes work? Basically, no, we don’t. I can use a microwave, but exactly what those microwaves are doing or how they are generated, well, that’s beyond me. All I know is that my meal is hot and ready to eat!
To a large degree, the same is true of understanding Army acquisition, the theme of this issue. Tat’s especially true since the Army stood up the U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC). Sure, lots of people know, fundamen- tally, how acquisition works: AFC generates requirements for current and future capabilities needed to win on the battlefields; the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) takes that requirement and turns it into a new weapon, improved armor or an updated tactical radio system. Ten, it’s off for life cycle maintenance with U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC). Like driv- ing a car, we basically know how this process works, but very few understand just how complicated a job it is to make it work—much more complicated than driving a car, of course.
Te lack of understanding about exactly how Army acquisition works, the players involved, and the impact of research, budgets, testing
and ever- changing
requirements makes it easy for the layman to ridicule cost overruns or extended timelines. However, for an acquisition professional to not understand the intricacies, well, that leads to the very problems we are paid to prevent.
@
Email Nelson McCouch III
ArmyALT@gmail.com
In this issue, we explore how the acquisition enterprise works by reviewing the interdepen- dencies among AFC, ASA(ALT) and AMC. How does AFC fit with ASA(ALT), and ASA(ALT) with AMC? Where does one begin and another end?
To begin explaining acquisition, we have a Q&A with Dr. Bruce D. Jette (Page 18), the Army acquisition executive, along with a “map” of the Army acquisition enterprise. We also take an in-depth look at how the enterprise is doing with modernization of its processes, in “A New Era of Acquisition,” on Page 8 and the conclusions are surprising. Ten we have several articles, such as “Te Need for Interoperability Standards” on Page 28 and “Te Contracting Pendulum” on Page 34, that showcase projects and programs the Army Acquisition Workforce is working on and how they interact with others to deliver world-class products to our warfighters.
After reading this issue, I hope you’ll better understand the acquisition process and the cutting-edge capabili- ties it produces, and that you appreciate the dedicated professionals that make it possible. As always, if you have a comment or story idea or want to submit an article, please contact us at ArmyAL&
T@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Nelson McCouch III Editor-in-Chief
https://asc.ar my.mil
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