BE A SPONGE
When Sgt. 1st Class Ryan D. Johnson first joined the Army Acquisition Workforce, he didn’t know what Army acquisition was—but he learned fast.
In late 2012, he had been assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and was considering a transition from the Army back to civilian life since his initial four- year enlistment was ending. Johnson had enlisted in the Army at the age of 36, and in a few short years, he reached the conclusion that “the infantry was a young man’s game.” He had moved from the Mortar Platoon to the training room in order to start his tran- sition back to civilian life.
SGT. 1ST CLASS RYAN D. JOHNSON
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center, The Army Acquisi- tion School
TITLE: Instructor YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 10 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE: 14
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Contracting Professional
EDUCATION: B.S. in agriculture, Washing- ton State University; A.A. in general studies, University of Maryland
AWARDS: Meritorious Service Medal (one oak leaf cluster (OLC)); Army Commendation Medal (four OLCs); Army Achievement Medal (six OLCs); Meritorious Unit Citation (two OLCs); Superior Unit Award
“One day, my company commander, Capt. Fred Martin Jr., said, ‘Sgt. Johnson, you are not getting out of the Army, you are going to acquisition!’ At the time, I didn’t think much of it and I had no idea what Capt. Martin was talking about; however, it did spark some interest,” he said. “I had no idea what Army acquisition was or even that contract- ing was a thing. Capt. Martin helped me with my application for reclassification to 51C and I was selected in May 2013.”
Johnson’s first assignment was in San Antonio, Texas, with the 412th Contract- ing Support Brigade, where he was assigned to work at the Mission and Installation Contracting Command’s Installation Support Programs Division. “My first actions as a contracting specialist were service and construction requirements in support of BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure] and the 63rd Regional Support Command,” he said. “Te challenging nature of the job, understanding the FAR [Federal Acquisition Regula- tion] and, most importantly, the people, are all very appealing aspects of this career field.”
He is currently the primary instructor for the Army Contract Writing Lab (ACWL), a course offered through Te Army Acquisition School in Huntsville, Alabama. He has been in the position since 2023, training Soldiers on using the Procurement Desktop- Defense (PD2) software, a key system used for creating contract actions in support of the warfighter.
“As the instructor for the ACWL, I leverage my expertise to ensure Soldiers are prop- erly trained using PD2 to write clear, accurate and standardized contracts efficiently and accurately, while ensuring compliance with relevant acquisition regulations,” he said.
Johnson takes great pride in being a member of the Army Acquisition Corps, and one of his greatest satisfactions is understanding the impact a 51C has on the success of the Army’s mission. “As a member of the [Noncommissioned Officer] NCO Corps and the Army Acquisition Corps, I use my expertise as a professional and business expert to ensure that the warfighter has the right supplies and services acquired at the best possible value,” he said. “Te role of a 51C is supporting the warfighter by procuring supplies and services in complex and challenging environments. Te important work we do ensures that the Army has what it needs and is often the unseen part of the military’s success.”
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Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2025
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