Networked Stryker unit on-the-move at National Training Center

Networked Stryker unit on-the-move at National Training Center

Amy Walker, PEO C3T Public Affairs FORT IRWIN, Calif. (Feb. 10, 2016) — The 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, or 2/2 SBCT, leveraged the Army’s latest mobile network equipment package to battle enemy forces during its Decisive Action Rotation at the National Training Center, or NTC, on Fort Irwin, California, which wrapped up last week. As part of the package, the Army’s on-the-move tactical communications network, Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 2, or WIN-T Inc 2, enabled commanders and staff to bring the power of their tactical operations center, or TOC, with them as they crossed the austere terrain of the Mohave Desert. The WIN-T-equipped Stryker vehicles provided […]

February 2016 Hot Topics

February 2016 Hot Topics

FROM THE ARMY DACM OFFICE The Army DACM Office re-emphasizes the requirement to complete 80 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) within the two-year cycle, which ends Sept. 30. We are now in FY16 Quarter 2, and the glide path suggests having 50 CLPs by the end of this quarter. Are you on track? The new Onboarding website has been available for a couple of months now. If you are new to the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW), we strongly suggest visiting this webpage. The January edition of the DACM Newsletter contains articles on the AAW Strategic Human Capital Plan, Training with Industry and Advanced Civil Schooling selectees, and a new subscription tool […]

Ground Truth: Addressing Cybersecurity through Army Lessons Learned

Ground Truth: Addressing Cybersecurity through Army Lessons Learned

By Janet O’May The Army acquisition process not only oversees the development or purchase of new systems but is responsible for the entire life cycle. Acquisition policies pertain to development, purchase, fielding, sustainment and disposal. Similarly, the responsibility for cybersecurity is also required throughout a system’s life cycle. Cyber risk management policies and procedures must be in place throughout all phases to ensure the safety of our warfighters as they employ systems that are increasingly reliant on communications and networks. The Army Acquisition Lessons Learned Portal (ALLP) is a resource for members of the acquisition community to share lessons and best practices. The following are lessons from the ALLP that […]

A case study in acquisition centralization

A case study in acquisition centralization

PM P2E supports a globally connected Army—and the “global” part can be a real challenge, as requests for IT acquisition support flow in from around the world, including many urgent requests from Soldiers in theater. To respond, PM P2E had to revamp to meet the demand, and an organization that had used a traditional, decentralized approach to developing requirements created a one-stop shop for acquisition, which yields better buying power efficiencies and alignment with JIE objectives. By Mr. James “Chris” Christopher Woodis Product Manager Power Projection Enablers (PM P2E) is one of the Army’s top-tier information technology (IT) product offices. It acquires and implements enterprise IT capabilities for a globally […]

Solidifying the base

Solidifying the base

PEO Ammunition creates greater flexibility to procure medium-caliber ammunition with an innovative acquisition strategy to make ‘family buys,’ reducing ammunition costs and keeping its industrial base warm.  By Maj. Edwin Churchill As the pace of combat operations has become widely variable, the Program Executive Office for Ammunition (PEO Ammunition) has created the flexibility to quickly ramp up medium-caliber ammunition production in response to rapidly changing requirements by having multiple manufacturing sources with warm lines. With the Medium Caliber Family acquisition (MCFA) strategy, PEO Ammunition is focusing on key capabilities specific to the production of medium cannon-caliber ammunition, reducing the administrative costs of the contract vehicle and maximizing the buying power […]

Ground combat system upgrades focus on weight, lethality

Ground combat system upgrades focus on weight, lethality

By Elizabeth M. Collins, Soldiers WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 20, 2015) — Ground combat vehicle modernization efforts are moving forward, on schedule and under budget, the ground combat systems program executive officer told reporters last week. Designs and engineering change proposals for existing vehicles have been largely finished, contracts are being awarded and some vehicles are being delivered and tested, said Ground Combat Systems, or GCS, Program Executive Officer, or PEO, Brig. Gen. David Bassett. “It’s a really exciting time,” he said. There’s “plenty to keep us busy, new requirements emerging, and really great partnerships on how we can tailor the acquisition process, look hard at appropriate requirements, help […]

Col. Michael Thurston, Project Manager for Mission Command, lays out the essentials

Col. Michael Thurston, Project Manager for Mission Command, lays out the essentials

By Ms. Nancy Jones-Bonbrest There’s a fundamental rule on the battlefield: To command effectively, you must be able to communicate. The Army continues its push to modernize mission command capabilities and embrace rapidly emerging technology against a backdrop of fiscal constraints and a volatile global security environment. At the same time, it remains focused on delivering to commanders and Soldiers the information they need to execute decisive actions anytime, anywhere and on any device. To implement this vision, the Army’s Project Manager for Mission Command (PM MC), assigned to the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications – Tactical (PEO C3T), is working aggressively to transition stand-alone mission command […]

Bounce

Bounce

PM TAS teams with Rock Island Arsenal and ARDEC to improve performance, safety, costs for the recoil system of the M119 howitzer By MAJ Wade Perdue More than two decades have passed since the first M119 howitzer rolled off the production line at Rock Island Arsenal – Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (RIA-JMTC), yet it remains one of the Army’s primary direct and indirect fire support assets. This lightweight, air-mobile, towed howitzer has been the workhorse for the Army’s infantry brigade combat teams’ direct support artillery battalions. Over the past 13 years, it has seen extensive use in both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF and OIF). The Army […]

A New Vehicle for Savings

A New Vehicle for Savings

PEO MS and Letterkenny Depot partner on improving radar platforms while rapidly fielding equipment and sustaining the organic industrial base By CPT Jake Brady With a pressing need for an improved AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar vehicle platform and no time to procure a new platform or radar, the Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space (PEO MS) teamed up with Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD), PA, to modify an existing platform in what could be a model for partnership with the organic industrial base. This effort, which moves the Sentinel from a modified High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) to the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) platform without requiring modification of […]

Army advances rapid acquisition for cyber defense

Army advances rapid acquisition for cyber defense

By Claire Heininger ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Aug. 18, 2015) – From protecting sensitive communications on the battlefield to thwarting the insider threat back home, Soldiers need a wide range of cyber weapons to defend the Army’s information and resources. Now, the service has a way to quickly buy and deliver those tools to stay ahead of evolving threats. The Army is moving forward with a unique approach that will enable rapid acquisition of defensive cyber capabilities in response to emerging requirements. By following a model known as the “Information Technology (IT) Box,” the Army is leveraging a proven process while tailoring it to meet the demands and complexities of […]