Rider serves as the acting competency manager of the Armaments Experimentation and Evaluation Division, supporting the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command (T2COM) and U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) – Armaments Center, in New Jersey, where he oversees two diverse branches including both engineering technicians and engineers.
Many organizations are blessed with employees who are dedicated to their work, but few can boast of employees who are just as committed to the people that they work with as the job itself. Jason Pitts was one such person—tirelessly dedicated to his job, his colleagues and ultimately the Soldiers in the field. The United States Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) was proud to have him as a leader within the organization.
Getting troops and equipment across the battlefield is a vital part of every theater operation. Soldiers and their kits, as well as spare ammunition and other supplies, need to arrive quickly, with nothing left behind—or risk jeopardizing the mission. The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and Humvee have done a great job at performing those tasks so far, but the battlefield is always changing. In some cases, those vehicles are too heavy and impractical for the task at hand—so, the Army chose to develop a new, ultra-light troop transport in 2018.
To lead effectively in a complex role like assured munitions, it’s essential to embrace new challenges and step beyond your comfort zone. By fostering trust and encouraging collaboration, Mustafa Rawat has shown how openness to diverse perspectives can drive stronger decisions and team success. This commitment to understanding others has become a cornerstone of effective leadership.
In modern conflicts, cyber space has emerged as a primary domain of warfare—an invisible but decisive battlefield that operates far from the traditional front lines. Ensuring constant cyber warfare superiority demands the ability to always be ready to pivot. The U.S. Army continues its momentum to adjust its portfolios and programs, when necessary, embrace more agile acquisition methods and devise innovative methods to swiftly funnel capabilities to Soldiers while finessing existing processes.
The U.S. Army’s Next Generation Command and Control initiative, known as NGC2, was created to meet this moment. NGC2 replaces legacy, stove-piped mission command systems with an open, extensible set of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, warfighting applications and resilient communications to achieve decision dominance against sophisticated adversaries.
When balancing multiple responsibilities at once, striving for perfection can slow progress, while consistency keeps things moving forward. By focusing on consistency over flawless execution, Donnah Laster shows up, stays steady and builds momentum over time—creating reliable results and setting the tone for those around her.
Accountability is critical—at the heart of this reform is the imperative to hold Capability Portfolio Executives and program managers (PMs) accountable for developing robust, risk-balanced acquisition programs that deliver capabilities in a timely manner. This alignment is not merely a bureaucratic exercise; it is a vital step toward ensuring our Soldiers receive the tools they need when they need them.
Florack serves as the project officer responsible for overseeing the life cycle program management for both the M111 Offensive Hand Grenade and the M112 Practice Offensive Hand Grenade. She leads a cross-functional team of government and contract personnel managing cost, schedule and performance objectives for these programs, as well as providing oversight for development efforts, production contracts and delivering end items (to meet Army inventory needs) to support fielding to the Soldier.
Accountability is critical—at the heart of this reform is the imperative to hold Capability Portfolio Executives and program managers (PMs) accountable for developing robust, risk-balanced acquisition programs that deliver capabilities in a timely manner. This alignment is not merely a bureaucratic exercise; it is a vital step toward ensuring our Soldiers receive the tools they need when they need them.
Mark Dahilig believes that the strongest careers are built by looking beyond a single lane. Experience and growth are best achieved by embracing a combination of cross-functional training within one’s organization and developmental assignments to broaden perspective, boost confidence and sharpen decision-making—an approach he lives out in his own role supporting the Soldier’s mission from the civilian side.
“The Mid-Range Capability program is highly complex, operating at the intersection of joint operations,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Blackwell, Product Manager Mid-Range Capability with PAE Fires’ Advanced Fires Project Office. “It requires seamless synchronization across Army, Navy and DoW [Department of War] leadership, as well as diverse acquisition disciplines and operational units.”
The Army is leaning forward with a leaner, more efficient mantra by strategically aligning personnel into areas where they are needed most. To better align with the Army Transformation Initiative, the military acquisition community is undergoing a “rebalancing” effort of Functional Area (FA) 51 officers—those responsible for researching, developing, testing, contracting and fielding weapons systems and technology—by shifting multiple functional areas, including FA 51, into areas that the Army may either be short-staffed or are emerging fields that will help serve the future fight.
Prospective authors are encouraged to think and write critically about current challenges and ways to overcome them successfully. “We invite members of the defense acquisition workforce and other interested individuals to emulate Harry’s dedication to communicating and solving problems to make the lives of our warfighters better,” Collins said.
Kight strives to ensure that Army policy reflects the strategic messaging set forth by the President, Congress, Office of the Secretary of War, Secretary of the Army and ASA(ALT) by developing and executing policy initiatives that address critical acquisition challenges with both national and international scope and impact.
Organizational leaders constantly talk about transformational structures, launch modernization campaigns and redesign processes to pursue efficiency, innovation or competitive advantage. Yet despite decades of research and countless books, studies and industry surveys have repeatedly suggested that most change initiatives either fail outright or never achieve the intended results. Employees resist change, communication breaks down, leaders lose credibility and organizations quietly revert to the old way of doing business. Often, the technical solution itself is not the problem. The problem is the process.
Last fall, the Army undertook the most significant acquisition reform in decades, moving from twelve Program Executive Officers to six Portfolio Acquisition Executives, ahead of congressional mandate, before the guidance was fully written. The reorganization was never the point. The point was speed—and the ability to deliver integrated capability at the pace the battlefield demands.
Maj. Douglas Richardson has built his career on the simple but solid belief that focus is the foundation for overcoming any challenge. Through shifting missions and unpredictable conditions, he has learned that resilience isn’t innate—it’s achieved through the willingness to adapt, learn and grow. For Richardson, obstacles are not barriers, but opportunities to become stronger and more capable.
© 2026 USAASC.
