YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER – CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Don’t let the winds of change knock you off course! As a member of the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW), part of being in control of your career is meeting your position’s statutory requirements by being certified at a certain level within your specific functional area (FA). Getting certified means you’ve met the necessary training, experience, and depending on the position, education standards. Take and stay in control of your career – plot out your training plan early with the help of the DAU iCatalog.

The FY26 schedule and access to apply to FY26 courses will be available starting July 17.

Your training decisions should be made well ahead of time, before applying to courses, and with your supervisor’s awareness. This way, when the FY26 schedule is released on July 17, you can immediately apply for training with your supervisor’s full support. We encourage you to save this link to your favorite bookmarks. To explore a vast collection of acquisition career management guidance and resources, check out the civilian and military career development pages.

FUNCTIONAL AREAS

ATTENTION PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS – PM CERTIFICATION CHANGES AHEAD!

Keep up with the winds of change! If you are a PM acquisition functional area professional taking Defense Acquisition University (DAU) courses to satisfy your position’s statutory certification requirement, be aware that new course requirements were recently added following a comprehensive PM competency review conducted late last year by the Joint Services, 4th Estate and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). This review culminated in a signed memo on May 2 by Mr. James Ruocco, performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition (ASD(A)) and as the Program Management Functional Area Leader. This is a significant change, adding approximately 22 and 21 hours of training to the Practitioner and Advanced certification requirements respectively. Changes go into effect on Oct. 1, 2025. To review the memo, CLICK HERE.

AWARDS

CLOSING SOON – NOMINATIONS TO THE 2025 ARMY ACQUISITION HALL OF FAME

Closing soon! The nomination period for the 2025 Army Acquisition Hall of Fame closes on June 6. This award recognizes and honors former members of the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) who have made significant and enduring contributions in support of the Army acquisition community. The program’s intent is to preserve the legacy of the acquisition community and inspire a sense of heritage, honor, and pride throughout the workforce. The Army Director, Acquisition Career Management, Mr. Ronald R. Richardson, encourages organizations to consider the amazing work that our acquisition personnel accomplished throughout a career of service and submit nominations to recognize those professionals.

The Call for Nominations is open to all former AAW personnel, both military and civilian, who are now separated or retired after a minimum of 20 years of federal service, and posthumously to AAW personnel who served a minimum of 20 years of federal service during their lifetime. Nominees must be retired or separated from federal service at least one year before eligible for consideration.

Detailed eligibility criteria and nomination requirements for the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame Award are posted on the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) website: https://asc.army.mil/web/hall-of-fame/

DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR THE DEFENSE ACQUISITION AWARDS

Great news! The nomination deadline for the 2025 Defense Acquisition Awards has been extended to June 18. Now’s your chance to recognize the best of the best Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) professionals and teams for these prestigious awards. Army nominations must be submitted to the Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office no later than June 18. Nominations are sought for five awards:

• The David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award
• The Defense Acquisition Awards for Individual Achievement
• The Defense Acquisition Team Awards for Workforce Development Innovation
• The Defense Acquisition Team Award for Software Innovation
• The Defense Acquisition Team Award for Flexibility in Acquisition

Each organization is allowed one nomination per award category, which must be endorsed by the head of your organization. Please ensure that nominations are sent through the proper command channels and reach the Army DACM Office by June 18. The submission instructions and forms are available at https://asc.army.mil/web/acquisition-awards/defense-acquisition-awards/.

FRESHLY OPENED – 2025 ARMY ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE’S EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AWARDS

The nomination window for the 2025 Army Acquisition Executive’s Excellence in Leadership Awards opened on June 2 and closes on July 25. This award honors individuals and teams whose dedication, innovation and leadership provide the Army with the cutting-edge capabilities needed to stay ahead in an ever-changing environment. The awards highlights achievements across a range of categories, showcasing the diverse ways in which the AAW contributes to mission readiness. For more information: https://asc.army.mil/web/aae-awards/

OPPORTUNITIES

GET YOUR DEGREE WITH THE ACQUISITION TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ATAP)

June 3 is opening day of the ATAP application acceptance window. ATAP provides tuition assistance, including laboratory and technology fees, to eligible AAW professionals taking individual acquisition- or business-related college courses or pursuing an acquisition- or business-related bachelor’s or master’s degree. Eligible applicants who already have a master’s degree can now apply for a second master’s degree in a business, technical or acquisition-related discipline. Be sure to open the ATAP Announcement .pdf under the “Announcement” section! The ATAP application window closes on July 15. For complete details, click here.

REMINDERS

NEW HIRES – TAKE THE AAW ONBOARDING COURSE

It’s a breeze! Now that you’re in the Army Acquisition Workforce, it’s easy to learn the basics of your acquisition career with the “Welcome to the Army Acquisition Workforce” course. This course should be completed within the first few months of joining the acquisition workforce as it offers a dynamic overview of:

• The Army Acquisition Workforce.
• Training and certification standards.
• Tools and resources.
• Career models.
• Development and leadership opportunities.
• Staying connected.

To access and begin taking the course, navigate to the Army Training Information System (ATIS) Learning home page at https://learn.atis.army.mil/moodle. (Chrome or Edge browsers are recommended.)

• Login to EAMS-A-Single Sign-On (CAC login).
• Click the CATALOG tab.
• Locate the Welcome to the Army Acquisition Workforce course in the list of Published courses, or enter the course name in the Search field, and click the search icon.
• Select the Register & Launch button, which will take you directly where you can launch the Learning Assignment(s) required for the course.

There is a downloadable resources guide included with the course. You are highly encouraged to download and save a copy of this resources guide for your records. Once you have closed the course topic, your completion will show up on your ATIS LEARNING MY CERTIFICATES page. Click the certificate File icon to view and download the course completion certificate.