Applications are being accepted for consideration to the Training With Industry for noncommissioned officers (NCOs) program.

The Army’s Training with Industry (TWI) program is a one-year work-experience training program designed to take selected NCOs out of the military environment and expose them to the latest commercial business practices, organizational structures and cultures, technology development processes, and the latest corporate management techniques. This assignment will be unlike any you have had or will have in the future.

The companies that partner with the Army in this training program are developers of innovative, cutting-edge technologies and established business leaders in their respective fields. Companies are adjusted each year to ensure we are capturing the best of breed in industry.

For questions, send an email to MOS 51C, Acquisition Proponent NCO Staff Sgt. Omar Smith at omar.d.smith6.mil@army.mil.

The Army Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office is accepting applications in CAPPMIS/AAPDS for the Naval Postgraduate School Master of Science in Financial Management (MSFM) Program (Curriculum 857-273) now through Oct. 22, 2026.

The Army DACM Office sponsors the full cost of tuition and up to $250 per course for books (book reimbursement is subject to availability of funding) for the MSFM Program. Participants incur a two-year Continued Service Agreement after graduating from the program.

Open now! The Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program (ALCP) is open now through Oct. 30.

The Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program (ALCP) harnesses self-awareness as the tool for enhancing leadership, innovation and professional development by demonstrating how individual preferences and behaviors affect the ways we interact with coworkers and are viewed by others. Program participants will understand how accepting individual differences can produce a stronger group and a leadership corps that’s capable, collaborative and creative.

Depending on which option is selected, ALCP is open to civilian and military Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) members in various grades and ranks, including Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories (STRLs) term employees.

• ALCP B “Beginnings” – ALCP B assists new hires in building a solid foundation for effective and efficient acclimation into the federal and acquisition workforce by introducing participants to their behavioral preferences and leadership tendencies, giving them the “big picture” of three consistent challenges faced by professionals. ALCP B is a 1.5-day virtual module open to civilian AAW members at the GS-7 through GS-11 or equivalent levels.
• ALCP I – ALCP I focuses on the individual, with emphasis on who they are, their behavioral preferences and leadership tendencies and if those preferences work for them now and for the long term. A model for understanding the dynamics of leadership is presented with facilitated participant understanding of how a variety of psychological instruments results indicate how an individual approaches leadership challenges in a variety of scenarios. The specific challenges of change, decision making and conflict resolution are addressed. ALCP I is a 2.5-day virtual module open to civilian and military AAW members at the GS-12, GS-13, O-3, O-4, E-6 and E-7 or equivalent levels.
• ALCP II – ALCP II focuses on the major challenge for new organizational leaders; to incorporate individual talents into a cohesive workforce. To be prepared to do so they need to understand the motivations, needs and interest of other people. The goal is to bring each participant to a heightened self-awareness and to build intrinsic and extrinsic value to their organization. ALCP II is a 2.5-day virtual module open to civilian supervisors and military AAW members at the GS-14, GS-15, SES, O-5, O-6, E-7 and E-8 or equivalent levels.

The process for enrollment into ALCP has changed to an online tool within AITAS. In the My Career section, selecting the Training Events tab will allow you to view and apply for ALCP courses during the enrollment period. Applicants do not have a confirmed reservation until the request has been approved by the ALCP Program Manager.

Quotas are still managed at the command level. A Quick Start Guide on how to apply for ALCP is available in the References tab under the Support section of AITAS.

Mark your calendar—the application submission window for the Senior Service College Fellowship (SSCF) opens on Nov. 2.

The SSCF program is a 10-month educational senior leadership development opportunity sponsored by the Office of the Army Director, Acquisition Career Management. SSCF is conducted by Warfighting Acquisition University (WarU) through Redstone Arsenal and virtual seminars. The purpose of SSCF is to provide leadership and acquisition training to prepare senior level civilians for key roles such as product director, product and project manager, capability program executive, and other key acquisition leadership positions, to include Contracting. The program conducts multiple acquisition activities to include:

• Credit for completion of the WarU Program Management Course (PMT 4010).
• Leadership courses.
• Studies in resource requirements and acquisition integration for senior and strategic leaders.
• Studies in executive leadership.
• Applications of acquisition in national defense and security study.
• Acquisition training in Life Cycle Management linked to Life Cycle Management Commands.
• Research in acquisition issues and processes.
• Mentoring program with government and industry senior leaders.
• Senior Leadership Speaker’s Program.
• Please note that acquisition activities are subject to change per AR621-7, Chapter 2-1c.

The Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) application window is open now through Nov. 12.

The Army Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office is accepting new applications in CAPPMIS/AAPDS for the FY27 civilian Army Acquisition Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) Oct. 1 through Nov. 12, 2026.

The civilian Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) SLRP is designed to repay up to $10,000 toward repayment of federally insured student loans. This program serves as a retention incentive for civilian AAW employees with critical acquisition functional area skills. Upon selection into the SLRP, a 3-year SLRP Service Agreement to remain within the AAW is required.

Applications to the Advanced Civil Schooling (ACS) education opportunity for noncommissioned officers (NCOs) are being accepted now through Dec. 11.

If you’re considering pursuing an advanced degree in an acquisition or business discipline at a civilian university, ACS may be a good fit for you. The Army Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office fully funds board-selected NCOs enrolled in advanced education programs. As part of ACS, 51C NCOs are eligible for a 12–18-month Naval Postgraduate School Curriculum 815 Program in Monterey, California, which awards a Master of Science in Defense Contract Management.

The curriculum is designed to empower NCOs with the necessary skills to serve effectively in systems-buying offices, field contracting offices, contract administration offices, and contracting policy offices.

The Army DACM Office is pleased to announce a new program offering, Understanding Defense Industry (UDI). Conducted by the University of North Carolina (UNC) Kenan-Flagler Business School at their campus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the week-long UDI course focuses on working with the industrial base, frameworks for defense analysis with an industry perspective, creating competition, and an overview of defense markets.

Senior-level acquisition professionals who engage with industry on behalf of the government for activities such as contract negotiations and program management are encouraged to apply. Those working as Contracting Officer leads, Contract Specialists and Cost/Price Analysts with negotiation delegation, and technical subject matter experts who have industry negotiations scheduled within the next year are highly encouraged to participate.

The FY27 UDI application window opens Nov. 2, 2026, and closes on Jan. 31, 2027. For more information, please visit the UDI program webpage here.

Are you ready to elevate your strategic decision-making and collaborate directly with senior program managers on real-world acquisition challenges?

The Warfighting Acquisition University (WarU) is now accepting applications for the fiscal year 2027 offerings of CFT 4010 (Program Manager’s Cross-Functional Training). This course is specifically engineered to foster a high-participation and group-focused, collaborative learning environment, and is conducted in-person over seven-weeks at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.

To build a highly collaborative peer network, WarU has reserved dedicated seats specifically for non-PM functional leaders. While CFT 4010 and PMT 4010 are the exact same class, the key difference is that WarU is actively looking for non-PM acquisition professionals to fill these designated CFT 4010 seats. If you are a GS-14, GS-15 (or broadband equivalent), O-5 or O-6, and certified at the highest level of your functional area, this course is designed for you.

Because these seats are limited and manually managed, candidates should apply via AITAS. Six separate class cohorts are available throughout FY27, running from January through October.

Please review the schedule and start your application process today by visiting the WarU CFT-4010 Program to learn more. Additional information about the class is also available on the Army DACM website.

Wondering how the transformed Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) impacts acquisition policy?

Get your questions answered by taking the new training course ACQ 0330 Guide to the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO). Released in August 2026 by Warfighting Acquisition University (WarU), this two-hour online course provides all acquisition workforce members with a foundational understanding of the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul (RFO) and its implications for federal acquisitions. Course objectives include:

• Recognizing the purpose and intent of the RFO.
• Identifying key structural and writing changes.
• Describing the scope of the FAR and DFARS deviations.
• Locating authoritative RFO resources.
• Recognizing implications for acquisition practice.

The recently published catalog of fiscal year Army DACM Office program Timeline and Announcements is now available. Enrich and sharpen your acquisition leadership skills and knowledge by taking advantage of one or more training, development or education/tuition assistance opportunities.

Tuition Assistance Programs

• Acquisition Tuition Assistance Program
• Naval Postgraduate School Master of Science degree programs
• Student Loan Repayment Program

Leader Development Programs

• Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program
• Carnegie Mellon University’s Data Driven Leadership, Data Driven Leadership Executive, and Leading Agentic Artificial Intelligence certificate programs
• Senior Service College Fellowship
• Inspiring and Developing Excellence in Acquisition Leaders
• Leadership Excellence and Acquisition Development
• DoW Acquisition and Sustainment Public Private Talent Exchange
• Enterprise Civilian Talent Development Programs
• Training With Industry for Officers and Noncommissioned Officers
• Advanced Civil Schooling for Officers and Noncommissioned Officers
• FY29 Acquisition Key Billet – Project/Product Manager or Acquisition Director
• FY29 Product Director Centralized Selection Board
• DoW College Acquisition Internship Program
• Understanding Defense Industry

Dates are subject to change. Check the Army Acquisition Professional Development System (AAPDS) within the Career Acquisition Personnel and Position Management Information System (CAPPMIS) to confirm any program announcement dates.

The DACM Office recently updated the AcqDemo and SLRP FAQs.

The Department of War (DoW) Civilian Acquisition Workforce Personnel Demonstration Project (AcqDemo) is a congressionally mandated initiative designed to enhance the effectiveness of the DoW acquisition workforce.

AcqDemo transforms traditional civilian personnel management policies and processes by introducing a more flexible, responsive system that better supports the acquisition mission. This system empowers managers with greater personnel flexibilities while recognizing and rewarding employees based on their contributions.

To browse more FAQs, access the repository here.

Plan out the steps of your acquisition career path with the help of updated career models. These notional guidelines lay out suggested career milestones such as leader development programs, acquisition opportunities, assignments and other acquisition career-related goals.

Under Section 826 of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 119-60), Army Acquisition Workforce professionals are now required to establish Key Performance Objectives (KPOs). This provision restructures performance evaluation metrics to ensure the workforce is measured against outcomes that directly support national security priorities. The intent of KPOs is to:

• Systematically track, evaluate and strengthen acquisition workforce capabilities.
• Align individual and organizational performance with strategic goals such as rapid capability delivery, commercial innovation integration and industrial base resilience.
• Close critical skill gaps while improving recruitment, retention and continuous professional development in areas including digital literacy, artificial intelligence fluency and agile practices.

Implementing KPOs will deliver clear benefits to the acquisition enterprise and the warfighters it supports such as:

• Creating measurable accountability that accelerates the delivery of critical capabilities to operational users.
• Fostering a culture of calculated risk-taking, collaboration and learning that moves the workforce beyond rigid compliance toward innovation and speed.
• Enabling data-driven talent management decisions that optimize workforce size, composition and proficiency for long-term readiness and surge capacity.

For additional guidance, implementation resources, reference documents and training materials, go to WarU’s Acquisition Workforce Reform page here.

The 2026 Army Acquisition Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony will be held on Oct. 13, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time.

The ceremony will be held in-person at the 2026 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition. The awards ceremony will not be livestreamed.

The award ceremony will be held at:

Room 202A
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Allen Y. Lew Place, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001

The Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology is now accepting articles, opinion pieces, or essays for the 13th annual Major General Harold J. “Harry” Greene Awards for Acquisition Writing Competition.

Through the years, this competition has showcased the tremendous talent and creativity within our community and those associated with it. Each year, prospective authors are given the opportunity to share their ideas, expertise and experiences by writing about them. In doing so, we drive the dialogue on the important role of acquisition in delivering capabilities to warfighters. We also honor a leader who was passionate about providing Soldiers with the best equipment in the world.

The annual acquisition writing competition, open to everyone with an interest in Army acquisition, is named in honor of Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, who was killed in action during a visit to Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 5, 2014, while serving as the deputy commanding general of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.

Articles must be from 500 to 1,800 words and in one of the following four categories: acquisition reform, future operations, innovation or lessons learned. Entries are due by Oct. 13.

For more information, go to:
13th Annual MG Harold J. Greene Awards for Acquisition Writing competition launch.

The following outlines information and best practices for the Army Acquisition Workforce who use the Army Internet Training Application System (AITAS) to submit acquisition training requests:

• Before submitting any training application, review the information reflected on your AITAS User Profile and make any necessary updates. Pay particular attention to the email address as there are still many email addresses showing the outdated @mail.mil suffix. If your email address is wrong, you will not get notifications from AITAS about your application. Applications submitted for any of the training courses taught by Carnegie Mellon University will not be processed with incorrect profile data.
• Your Pay Plan and Pay Grade should match what is shown on your ACRB; for example, DE-03, NH-04, GS-13, LTC. Acquisition military personnel should use “E” (enlisted) or “O” (officer) as their pay plan.
• You may log into AITAS at any time to check the status of your application. It is your responsibility to track the status of your application and block the time on your calendar so that you remain available to attend.
• If you are waitlisted for a course, you may apply to another offering of that course without cancelling your waitlisted application. Once any application for a course becomes a reservation, AITAS will automatically cancel any remaining waitlisted applications in the system for that course.
• If you are on a waitlist but your schedule changes and you are no longer available, you must log into AITAS and cancel that waitlisted application. If you do not, and your wait rolls into a confirmed reservation at any time, you will be recorded as an unexcused No Show if you do not attend.
• When you receive a system-generated email from AITAS, it is your responsibility to read the Remarks of that email as those remarks contain information you need to know about that application.
• Students are also responsible for reading AITAS Announcements. Announcements may be pop-up alerts received upon login or posted to the static Announcements bulletin board within AITAS. You will see the Announcement bulletin board when you first navigate to the AITAS webpage and on your AITAS Dashboard.
• If there is information the student, or the supervisor, wants the Acquisition Training Office to know, they should enter that information in the student and supervisor comments section of the application.
• User Guides and Policies may be found within AITAS under Support -> References.
• The FAQs section of AITAS was recently updated. It’s recommended that students and supervisors read through them.

October 1, 2026 marks the first day of the new Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) two-year cycle. All members of the Army Acquisition Workforce are required to achieve a minimum of 80 CLPs by the end of each two-year cycle. The new CLP two-year cycle dates are Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2028.

The DACM Office developed a glidepath that identifies a recommended minimum number of CLPs that should be attained by the end of each quarter. Army Acquisition Workforce professionals are encouraged to follow this glidepath, setting a goal to earn at least 10 CLPs each quarter. The glidepath recommendations support your steady, consistent progress towards reaching or exceeding 80 CLPs by the due date of Sept. 30, 2028.

Failure to earn at least 80 CLPs by the end of FY26 not only violates the Department of War Instruction 5000.66 (reference 1.d) and DACM policy and it could also preclude AAW professionals from applying or participating in DACM-sponsored training, education or career development programs in the future.

The Senior Rater Potential Evaluations (SRPEs) were released on Oct. 1. SRPEs are required for GS-12 through GS-15 and payband equivalent level Army Acquisition Workforce professionals. Senior Raters must complete a SRPE no later than Jan. 31, 2027.

As an AAW professional, you must ensure a SRPE is completed every year. The SRPE is a talent management tool used to evaluate the potential of civilian AAW professionals in designated grades to perform in positions of increased responsibility. To help you prepare for the upcoming SRPE Release on Oct. 1, you are encouraged to become familiar with the guidance, tips and resources located on the SRPE webpage.

The recently refreshed “Welcome to the Army Acquisition Workforce” (AAW) onboarding course is a one-hour orientation designed for new members to complete within their first three months. Although developed prior to the Acquisition Transformation initiative, the training delivers critical foundational knowledge on statutory requirements, DAWIA certification standards, career models and leadership development opportunities.

By completing this course early on, you’ll be equipped with the essential tools and resources needed to successfully navigate your acquisition duties and manage your career progression.