By Karen D. Kurtz
WASHINGTON (June 26, 2017) – The Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)), Maj. Gen. Paul A. Ostrowski, announced the fourth annual Maj. Gen. Harold J. “Harry” Greene Awards for Acquisition Writing competition today to encourage critical writing focused on Army acquisition.
“The annual writing competition is designed to showcase the tremendous talent and creativity within the acquisition community and those associated with it,” said Ostrowski. “Each year, we invite participants to candidly share their ideas, expertise, and experiences by writing about them,” he continued. “In doing so, we honor a leader who was passionate about our responsibility to provide Soldiers with the best equipment in the world.”
Designed to drive the dialogue about meeting and overcoming challenges in delivering capabilities to the Warfighter, the competition is open to anyone and seeks maximum participation, especially by members of the defense acquisition workforce. “We are living in interesting times,” Ostrowski said. “We need to think and write clearly about our challenges and opportunities. This competition is the perfect venue to reflect on Army acquisition – its past, present, and future.”
Prospective authors may submit articles, opinion pieces, or essays from 500 words to 1,800 words in one of four categories including lessons learned; innovation; future operations; or acquisition reform. The 2016 winners and honorable mentions were published in a supplement accompanying the January 2017 edition of Army AL&T magazine. They were also honored at the U.S. Army Acquisition Executive’s Awards Ceremony and Banquet held in Springfield, Virginia, in December 2016.
Submissions must be unclassified, original, not previously published or submitted to a writing competition, and completed during Fiscal Year 2017. Four award winners will be selected, one in each category with four additional works selected for honorable mention. All entries must be submitted by email no later than midnight September 26, 2017. Additional information about the competition is found at the ASA(ALT) website, including the call for submissions. The winners will be recognized at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C.
One of the authors earning an honorable mention in the innovation category during the first competition noted the benefits of participating. “It provided a means to have my voice heard other than just through the established chain of command in submitting comments and recommendations for draft regulation reviews, and it also served as an important way to represent [Lower Tier Project Office],” said David Cook, from Program Executive Office Missiles and Space.
The acquisition writing competition is named for Maj. Gen. Greene, the Deputy Commanding General of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, who was killed by an Afghan Soldier on Aug. 5, 2014, while making a visit to Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was promoted to Maj. Gen. in 2012 while serving as the Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management in ASA(ALT) prior to deploying in January 2014 to Afghanistan.
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