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 Officer Programs

A selection of Army acquisition Officer education and training programs

Army Acquisition Professional Course (AAPC)
This nine (soon to be sixteen) week course is held in Huntsville, Alabama at the Army Acquisition Center of Excellence. It is designed to provide a broad spectrum of knowledge pertaining to the acquisition process, program management and contracting.

Naval Postgraduate School’s Advanced Education Program (Initial Officer Education) Army Acquisition officers attend Naval Postgraduate School’s Masters of Science in Program 522 through the Advanced Civil Schooling fully funded education program.

Each of these programs result in a minimum Acquisition Career Fields (AFC) training of: Contracting (3), Program Management (3), Test and Evaluation (2), and Engineering (2).

Follow on training includes:

  1. Army Intermediate Contracting Course AICC (Phasing out) : This four week Course held in Huntsville Alabama is and intermediate contracting course emphasizing Army doctrine and Army-unique system acquisition procedures and organizations throughout its curriculum.
  2. Military Education Level 4/Advanced Operations Course Intermediate Qualification Course (IQC): The three-week FA51 IQC is the Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) functional-area specific follow-on to the core intermediate Level Education (ILE).

SSC

Advanced Civil Schooling Program 

The ACS program provides opportunities for Contracting NCOs (Military Occupational Specialty 51C) to pursue advanced degree programs at civilian universities on a full-time basis.  Participants are chosen through an annual selection board which is usually held in November and should apply for the program 9-12 before the anticipated start date of classes.

Eligibility:
Army Acquisition Officers and NCOs

Announcement Dates:

ACS 19‐01 Officers
Announcement Opening: 15 March 2018
Announcement Closing: 2 May 2018
Applicant Selection Notification Date: 7 June 2018
Program Start Date: 1 October 2018 – 31 March 2019
ACS 19‐02 Officers
Announcement Opening: (T) 7 August 2019
Announcement Closing: (T) 13-17 November 2019
Applicant Selection Notification Date: (T) 31 December 2019
Program Start Date: 1 April 2020 – 30 September 2020

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Pre-Command Courses

Acquisition Pre-Command Course: A resident two week course held at the Army Acquisition Center of Excellence in Huntsville, Alabama mandatory for centrally selected to acquisition command positions within the US Army Acquisition Corps.

Program Manager’s Course (PMT 401): A technically focused resident held at the Defense Acquisition University in Fort Belvoir, Virginia mandatory for centrally selected to program management command positions within the US Army Acquisition Corps.

Contracting Pre-Command Course : A technically focused resident two week course held at the Army Acquisition Center of Excellence in Huntsville, Alabama mandatory for centrally selected to contracting command positions within the US Army Acquisition Corps.

Army Acquisition Center of Excellence’s Professional Development Series

Influencer Training – Vital Smarts

Influencer Training is a leadership course that teaches proven behavior change strategies. Drawing from the skills of many of the world’s best change agents and combining them with five decades of social-science research, this course offers a powerful model for behavior change whether you manage a team of ten or ten thousand. For more information contact the AACoE.

Eligibility:
Captains, Majors and Lieutenant Colonels.

Apply

Crucial Conversations – Vital Smarts

Crucial Conversations teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high stakes, emotional, or risky topics.

Eligibility:
Captains, Majors and Lieutenant Colonels.

Apply

CDG

Training With Industry

TWI is a year-long work-experience program intended to give top-performing officers and NCOs extended exposure to industry management techniques, best practices and technological innovations, as well as a view from the “other side of the fence.”

Eligibility:
Captains, Majors and Lieutenant Colonels.

Announcement Dates:
Announcement Opening: 20 August 2018
Announcement Closing: 6 December 2018
Applicant Selection Notification Date: NLT 15 February 2019 (T)
Program Start Date: April 2019 – August 2019
Apply
Link to DACM Timeline and Announcements

Acquisition Officer Doctoral Opportunity

Acquisition Officer Doctoral Opportunity provides an opportunity for qualified officers to pursue a doctorate degree in a technical/engineering related discipline at civilian universities on a full time, fully funded basis. Participants are chosen through semi-annual selection boards, which are usually held in June and November, and should apply for the program roughly 12 months before the anticipated start date of classes.