Acquisition is a Team Effort – Brice Ott

Brice Ott

COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Capability Program Executive Simulation Training Test and Threat, Project Lead Threat Systems Management Office
TITLE: Project director
YEARS OF SERVICE IN AAW: 9
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Practitioner in program management
EDUCATION: B.S. in wireless engineering, Auburn University
AWARDS: Department of the Army Civilian Service Achievement Medal (2025)

by Cheryl Marino

As a project director at the forefront of delivering advanced threat systems, Brice Ott plays a critical role in shaping capabilities that meet evolving mission demands. With a primary focus on small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), he supports a diverse range of customers, ensuring solutions are both agile and effective. And he firmly believes that the strongest innovations emerge from unified team effort. By fostering collaboration and shared ownership, he continues to drive smarter, more resilient solutions in a rapidly changing landscape.

“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the value of working closely with stakeholders and genuinely incorporating their feedback into the process,” Ott explained. “Taking the time to listen to their questions, understand their concerns and address issues directly has helped me build stronger relationships and ultimately deliver better solutions.”

He maintains that successful acquisition professionals are the ones who remain technically capable while also building trust, communicating effectively and staying responsive to the needs of the warfighter and customer.

“Strong relationships and open communication are just as important as technical expertise,” he said. “Strong relationships, operational awareness and the ability to make informed decisions in rapidly changing environments are what separate great acquisition professionals from average ones.”

As project director, sUAS, at the Project Lead Threat Systems Management Office (PL TSMO) under Capability Program Executive Simulation Training Test and Threat (CPE ST3), Ott oversees the development and delivery of threat systems used to emulate adversary capabilities during testing and training exercises. His primary focus is on sUAS and aerial threat representation, including swarm behavior, payload delivery, sensors and other capabilities that near-peer threat nations may employ on the battlefield.

He serves a broad range of customers, including the Army Test and Evaluation Command, Combat Training Centers, joint customers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security.

“Our mission is to provide realistic and evolving threat representations so that U.S. forces and counter-UAS systems are prepared to detect, understand and defeat the threats they may encounter in real-world operations,” Ott said. “This work is important because readiness starts before deployment. I believe our Soldiers and systems should encounter these threats in training first, not for the first time downrange when lives are on the line. By ensuring accurate and realistic threat replication, we help prepare the warfighter for the challenges of the modern battlefield.”

For Ott, the most rewarding part of being in the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) comes from knowing the work directly contributes to protecting the people who protect our country.

“As a husband and father, that responsibility carries personal meaning for me. Supporting the warfighter is not just a mission statement it represents real people, real families and the importance of making sure Soldiers are as prepared as possible before they face threats in the real world,” he said.

A key highlight of Ott’s position is the chance to observe training exercises in authentic, real- world environments.

“I’ve had the chance to engage with personnel at every level from operators working directly on the ground to senior decision-makers shaping future requirements and hear directly from them about what capabilities would make their objectives more achievable and improve mission success,” he said. “Those experiences have broadened my knowledge base far beyond the areas where I originally considered myself an expert before joining the AAW. The constantly evolving threat environment and mission requirements keep the work engaging and meaningful.”

Ott did not originally plan on pursuing a career in Army acquisition. He found an online job posting (through Auburn University) that, he said, “immediately sounded interesting” and provided the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology, apply knowledge from his wireless engineering degree and experience unique missions around the world.

“Before joining the AAW, I worked in a variety of IT [information technology]-related positions that helped shape how I approach my current role today,” Ott said. “Those experiences taught me how to work closely with stakeholders and customers to understand their operational needs, identify the challenges directly impacting them and focus on removing obstacles that prevent mission success.”

What ultimately made him stay in the AAW was the mission of TSMO, which offers a tangible, real-time impact on readiness and operational effectiveness. Supporting realistic threat representation and helping prepare Soldiers for evolving battlefield challenges, Ott said, “makes the work meaningful and rewarding every day.”

“One of the things I am most proud of is the team we have built,” he said. “Time and time again, our team has delivered capabilities at a speed that I believe are unmatched. We have embraced an agile mindset that allows us to rapidly field solutions, learn from operational feedback and iterate just as quickly to keep pace with evolving threats.”

That adaptability is especially important in the UAS environment, where technologies and threat capabilities can change almost daily.

“Our ability to move quickly while remaining mission-focused has allowed us to better support customers and provide more realistic threat representation for testing and training,” he said. “Looking ahead, I continue to pursue opportunities to expand my expertise into new and emerging capability areas that are currently untapped or underrepresented within the organization. I enjoy identifying gaps, building knowledge in those areas and helping to position the organization to stay ahead of evolving operational challenges.”

According to Ott, the Threat sUAS project has been the most significant and impactful project of his career to date. “Through this effort, I have had the opportunity to travel both domestically and internationally in support of real-world training exercises and operational events. One of the most valuable experiences has been operating threat systems alongside Soldiers during active exercises and seeing firsthand how the capabilities are employed in realistic scenarios. Those experiences taught me more about operationalizing engineering concepts and rapidly adapting solutions to mission needs than any classroom environment could provide.”

He recently completed a three-month developmental assignment as a chief engineer supporting Enterprise Transformation and Integration, within CPE ST3. The role broadened his understanding of enterprise-level initiatives and enabled him to apply his technical expertise across a much larger organizational portfolio.

Ott also authored a paper called “Utilizing Lessons from Foreign UAS Threats to Inform Domestic Counter-UAS,” which he presented at the 2025 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, Florida. The paper was nominated as “best paper” through a rigorous, multi-step evaluation process conducted by the conference’s paper evaluation subcommittee. He described the experience as “both an honor and an important career development experience.”

“I would absolutely recommend seeking out developmental assignments, technical writing opportunities and cross-functional experiences to others in the workforce,” he said. “Some of the most valuable career growth comes from stepping outside your immediate comfort zone and gaining exposure to broader mission areas and perspectives.”

Outside of work, Ott said he’s known as a technology enthusiast who is always interested in the latest technology trends, do it yourself (DIY) and home improvement projects, spending time with his wife, daughter, and two dogs and staying active in his faith and church community.

“A lot of those interests connect naturally to the way I approach my work. My curiosity about technology and desire to continuously learn helps me stay engaged with rapidly evolving mission areas like sUAS and emerging threat capabilities. The problem-solving mindset that comes with DIY projects also carries over into my professional life, where adapting quickly and finding practical solutions is often critical to mission success, Ott said. “Most importantly, my family and faith help keep me grounded and remind me why the mission matters. Supporting the warfighter and helping improve readiness is something I take seriously, and those personal values influence the way I approach leadership, teamwork and service every day.”

“Faces of the Force” highlights the success of the Army Acquisition Workforce through the power of individual stories. Profiles are produced by the Behind The Frontlines team, working closely with public affairs officers to feature Soldiers and civilians serving in various Army acquisition disciplines. For more information, or to nominate someone, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/army-btf/.

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