FORT BELVOIR, Va. (October 25, 2021)—“Talent management is key to success,” said Mr. Rob Richardson, the new director of acquisition career management (DACM) and director of the U.S. Army…
Read More
By John Dillard, Col. USA (Ret.) and Steve Stark The valley of death or the chasm sounds like a place where vultures wheel in the hot desert…
CLEAN SWEEP: The Roomba, a now ubiquitous floor-cleaning robot, is perhaps the biggest success story to come from the SBIR program—but it lacks practical application in a military setting. (Photo…
CRITICAL EFFORT: The DA2 screening and diagnostics team was able to secure the onshore production of pipette tips. They are critical to molecular-based testing and sustainment of the nation’s blood…
A FINE VINTAGE: A Marine Corps combat instructor fires an M1 Garand during vintage rifle live-fire competition on Camp Pendleton, Calif., in 2018. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drake Nickels) …
TWINSIES: A digital twin is a digital, 3D model of a real-life object. (Image by Getty Images) U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command is leading the way in…
OBSOLESCENCE IN PRACTICE: It’s an all-too-familiar scenario for many. When purchasing a new cellphone, you may find yourself also needing a new charger, new earbuds and a new case. The…
PROTECTORS OF COMPETITION: When a sole-source award for Humvee control unit components was challenged, GAO found that the Army didn’t know the minimum quantity needed, and had made no…
TEST DRIVE: Members of 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasans,” 101st Airborne Division, provide feedback on the V-280 Valor’s cabin configuration in October 2020 at Bell Flight’s facility in Arlington, Texas….
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (July 29, 2021)—After 35 years as an Army civilian and 16 years as director of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) and Director of…
WALKING IN MEMPHIS: 1st Lt. Maryna Williams deployed to Memphis as the lead for FAST 22, to assist with the community vaccination mission there. She said she has strengthened her…
REMARKABLE SERVICE: Spisak delivered comments to members of the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) at the AAW Summit in September 2017. Craig Spisak may be retiring, but his legacy…
ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER: After 35 years of public service, Spisak is retiring. He looks forward to more golfing and time with his wife. FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITION CAREER…
by Brandon Pollachek, PEO IEW&S ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (June 4, 2021)—A change of responsibility and retirement ceremony conducted virtually on May 26, marked the closing of…
by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology WASHINGTON (May 27, 2021)—The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (May 5, 2021)—And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the announcement of the 2020 ALTies award winners. Army AL&T magazine, the award-winning publication of…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (April 26, 2021)—“Employing the best talent for the Army Acquisition Workforce is paramount if we’re to succeed at our mission,” writes Army Director of Career…
Everything you need to know about writing award nominations that win. by Ellen Summey It’s a familiar scenario in most Army workplaces as awards season approaches. “Hey,...
Read More
CULTURE AND STRATEGY: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Renowned management consultant Peter Drucker asserted that, as important as strategy is to success, an organization’s culture is a more…
By Michael Bold FORT BELVOIR, Va. (April 6, 2021)—The Spring 2021 issue of Army AL&T magazine focuses on “Shaping Army Acquisition,” examining the culture of acquisition in…
ON THE SCENE: President Joe Biden walks with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, left, Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,…
Army Reserve Col. April Myrick, front left, and Col. Ali K. Sonmez, second from left in back, stand with Army, Army Reserve, Air Force, Navy and U.S. Public…
VEHICLE LOADING: Procurement administrative lead time has dropped from 93 days to 48 days because of long-term contracts, like the one for Medium Tactical Vehicles. Here, U.S. Army Soldiers…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (February 1, 2021)—For nearly a year now, the Army’s acquisition enterprise has forged ahead through unprecedented difficulties, delivering and enhancing capabilities in the face of…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Jan. 25, 2021)—“Hold on to your hat, because big changes are coming our way,” said Army Director of Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Craig A. Spisak….
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (January 7, 2021)— Lt. Gen. Robert L. Marion, Army Acquisition Corps director and principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition,…
FROM THE DIRECTOR FOR ACQUISITION CAREER MANAGEMENT CRAIG A. SPISAK Back-to-Basics puts defense acquisition workforce in a whole new world. The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act…
The FY21 Product Director Centralized Selection Board was convened on September 14-16, 2020, at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The civilian centric board is a high priority talent management initiative…
WASHINGTON (Dec. 15, 2020)—The winners of the annual Secretary of the Army Awards for Excellence in Contracting for fiscal year 2020 were announced during a virtual awards ceremony…
WASHINGTON (Dec. 08, 2020)—On Dec. 1, Army Acquisition Executive Dr. Bruce D. Jette announced the recipients of the 2020 Army Acquisition Executive Excellence in Leadership Awards and congratulated…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Oct. 22, 2020)—The Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) needs to develop strong leaders, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the Army Director…
FROM THE DIRECTOR FOR ACQUISITION CAREER MANAGEMENT CRAIG A. SPISAK Developing leaders for the future Army Acquisition Workforce doesn’t stop, not even in the face of a…
by Dr. Bruce D. Jette In my role as the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology (ASA(ALT)), my team and I serve as lifecycle…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Sept. 10, 2020)—The U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center congratulates the Soldiers listed below for their selection into the 51C military occupational specialty (MOS)—contracting noncommissioned officer…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (August 4, 2020)—Lt. Gen. Bob Marion, the principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, announced the start…
FROM PARACHUTES TO MASKS Parachute riggers with 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Group Support Battalion, sew surgical masks for medical patients at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., March 31, 2020. The…
CAPABILITIES, DELIVERED: Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division train on upgraded CPCE software and hardware during fielding by PM MC in February at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany. PM MC uses…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (July 17, 2020)—How is the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) responding to the COVID-19 pandemic? What plans are being made for the future? How are Defense…
by Ellen Summey FORT BELVOIR, Va. (July 06, 2020)—It’s the very nature of Army acquisition—always looking to the future. Despite being faced with an unexpected challenge in the COVID-19…
By Mr. Craig Spisak, Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center In a June 9 memo, the Under Secretary of the Army, Hon. James E. McPherson, appealed to…
SOLUTION WANTED: Rodriguez Live Fire Complex is a 3,900-acre training area in South Korea. Because of space constraints, errant training rounds are a recurring problem. FAST advisors offered 8th Army a…
Maj. John Nikiforakis, assistant program manager for the Program Executive Office for Soldier’s Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular (ENVG-B), briefs 1st Infantry Division senior leaders on the ENVG-B in December at…
Meeting rooms stand empty at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, while the Center professionals utilize maximum telework and adhere to social distancing guidance while…
Rajal Ganatra (center right) with Acquisition Pathway Director (right) Maj. David Rothzeid and other cohorts of the program: from left, Denzil Thomas, Jaylene Carteret and Steve Rapp (on screen). (Photo…
XTECH IMMERSION: XTechSearch 3.0 finalists participate in an immersion day in Boston supported by FedTech and the xTechSearch program manager, Zeke Topolosky, far right back row. The xTechSearch competition and…
Many offices are looking deserted, like this one at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, Alabama, while many government workers practice social distancing through…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Apr. 29, 2020)—How will acquisition certification training requirements be impacted by COVID-19? What is the latest coronavirus guidance for DAU students? Where can I find…
Winners of the 2019 Army Acquisition Executive Excellence in Leadership Awards Many people would agree that having their professional accomplishments valued and recognized bring a level of reward and…
Soldiers with the 63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion prepare their equipment to deploy in support of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Army North’s request for defense support of civil authorities in…
The Army DACM Office’s supervisor competency assessment results help justify targeted training. by Jacqueline M. Hames Knowing the capabilities of your workforce is key in managing employee talent—it allows…
